Rhymes of An Hour
by Cashmeritan
Summary: She knew nothing of seduction, and furthermore knew nothing of sex. She's got to stay focused, and that means that she can't be entertaining thoughts of affection toward someone who swore her never to think of that night again. To take on the role of the seducer, and leave behind the role of the shamelessly seduced. KakaSaku
1. One Pesky Problem

**A/N: **Okay, so perhaps this is one of those fics that you can pick up on the general stereotypical gist of just by reading the first chapter. However, aren't some fics more fun that way? ;D

This is going to be a fluff and drama-centered one. My first M-rated fic, I believe. And I will totally make use of that rating, in every way I can. xDD I'm pretty sure the summary of this fic already hinted at that.

I know it starts out rather suddenly, but I couldn't think of any other way to begin this fic. I literally ripped apart various sheets of notebook paper that had been filled with drafts, and I deleted so many potent words here in the document manager on . I'm not too satisfied with this chapter, but it's enough for me to upload it. ;D Expect great things to come in later chapters.

Please review if you like it! If you read this and have a positive opinion, tell me so! Otherwise this fic will probably end up BALEETED. AKA deleted. :/

BTW the title comes from the song of the same name by Mazzy Star.

---

**Rhymes of An Hour**

**chapter 1**

**--**

"Are you a virgin?"

The audacity and unexpected quality of that question sent the sip of miso that Sakura had just taken exploding all over the table in front of her. The warm fluid pooled there, with gobs of saliva dangling from Sakura's lips. Her eyes were as round and as wide as saucers.

"What?!" she shrieked.

She had thought that this would have been a calm little lunch break, shared with her favorite (and only) shissou. She had set up her lunch at the opposite side of Tsunade's desk, thinking it rather cute and clever that they could both make use of the large mahogany surface. Not to mention convenient. What she hadn't expected was a sudden onslaught of uncomfortable personal questions.

Tsunade blinked at her assistant innocently, as if there was nothing wrong at all about asking such a question. She took a bite of her chicken lunch, and chewed. "Well?" she pressed.

Sakura seized a handful of napkins and began to sop up her mess, rather flustered. "Tsunade-sama, I do think that that question is a bit...personal," she replied through gritted teeth, stealing a hasty bite of rice.

"So? I'm your boss, basically. And if you were to ask me that question, I'd answer it."

"That's different, shissou," Sakura said. "You're so much older than me that the answer is pretty obvious."

Tsunade paused, and thought this through. "All right, you've got a point there. But why won't you tell me?" She smiled coyly. "Why are you so defensive?"

"Because!" Sakura said, cheeks gradually pinkening. "Because it's just awkward."

"So you are, then."

"What?" Sakura demanded.

"So you are a virgin," Tsunade said simply, folding her arms under her massive bosom. Sakura gazed down at her food, and made no move to argue any differently.

"...." Tsunade's eyebrows rose. "Wait, you ARE?"

Sakura growled. "What? Why is it such a big deal?"

The 5th hokage blinked a couple times. "It...it isn't, I guess. But I just...whoa.. You've got more integrity than I gave you credit for."

Sakura slammed down her chopsticks. "Shishou! I demand to know why my virginity is such a hot topic right now."

Tsunade shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just curious. However, I'm glad that you told me."

The pink-haired assistant cocked her head. "Huh? Why?"

"Because now I can rule you out for certain things," Tsunade said simply, pulling open her desk drawer and withdrawing a clipboard. She picked up a nearby pen and made some slashes across the page.

Now Sakura's interest was really picqued. She stood up slightly, trying to crane her neck to see the contents of the page that Tsunade was so intently marking. "What is it? Rule me out for what things?"

Tsunade set the pen aside and casually slid the clipboard back into her desk, kicking the drawer closed. "Nothing of importance," she said sweetly. "Just mission stuff."

"..." Sakura stopped chewing. "Um..."

Tsunade glanced at her watch. "Oh, shoot. Look at the time." She rose quickly. "You stay here and finish your lunch, I have a quick meeting that I've got to attend. All right? I'll be back later this afternoon, and I'm glad we had this talk." She skirted past her desk, and out of the office, leaving a very dumbstruck Sakura behind.

Okay, that wasn't weird in the least bit. She took a few more bites of her rice, which she had dolled up with scrambled egg for an out of the ordinary tinge, and sat rather puzzled. She felt tempted to sneak into Tsunade's desk and retrieve that clipboard, but as Tsunade said - Sakura's integrity, oh how it seemed to be her downfall at times. She tossed her napkins into the waste basket, and weighed her options.

Potential trap jutsu.....or coveted knowledge? She stood up and crossed to the other side of Tsunade's desk, staring at the drawer in question with desire dancing in her eyes. Just when her incentive reached its peak and she was just about to tug on the handle, Tsunade waltzed back in.

Her chocolate brown eyes widened slightly, and then she burst out into a series of chuckles. "I know you too well," she said. "If you really would like to know so badly, just come back later tonight. All right?"

Sakura stared down at her feet, beet red. "Yes, Tsunade-sama," she replied curtly.

Tsunade snatched a file from atop the filing cabinet near the door, let out another giggle, and then left the office and closed the door behind her.

Fuck, foiled.

---

Sakura had thrown out the rest of her lunch, and decided to spend her window of free time with a walk to the Yamanaka no Hana shop. She gently pressed open the door, trying to avoid the inevitable ringing bell that would announce her presence. Ino's ponytail-styled head poked up from behind the counter, and a broad grin spread across her face.

"Oh, forehead. It's you. I'll be right there," she said, and ducked back down. Sakura seemed vaguely confused by this, but slowly stepped into the store, admiring the meticulous floral displays that lined the walls. Before she knew it, her blonde companion had sauntered out from around the counter, and was at her side.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, ma'am?" Ino asked in her sweetest of tones, reserved only for valuable paying customers. Sakura scoffed.

"So. How have you been?" Ino asked, dropping the act. She rested a hand on her hip, and gently twirled the petals of a sunflower.

"Eh. Been better," Sakura admitted, glancing down at her feet. "How about you? Has life been more exciting for you?"

Ino pursed her lips and thought for a moment, and then shook her head, her bushy ponytail sweeping from side to side. "No, it hasn't. In fact, it's been dreadfully boring. I'm actually glad you came by today - I was on the verge of stopping by your house tonight to kidnap you and take you out clubbing."

"Me? Clubbing?" Sakura repeated, eyebrows raised. "Jeez, Ino, you must be really desperate to get out."

"Exactly my point." Ino plucked an unsatisfactory leaf from a flower arrangement, and let it fall to the floor inconspicuously. "So what do you say?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No."

"Well, then I guess I'll have to say yes."

Ino beamed. "Awesome. When do you get out of work?"

"Around 7:00pm, so if I get home and make a quick sandwich I could be ready to go by 8," Sakura replied.

"Sounds good. I'll be there to get you, okay?"

"Okay." Sakura glanced at her wristwatch, and chewed the inside of her cheek. "Fuck, I best be heading back to the office or else Shizune will freak out."

"Eh, duty calls. See you tonight."

Sakura exited the shop and practically jogged her way back to the office, praying that Shizune hadn't deposited a hefty stack of paperwork on her desk in her absence.

---

Sakura sank into her seat, relieved to find that only a small amount had been added to her workload. She rested her chin in her hands, and heaved a sigh. Sitting around as a slave to paperwork wasn't exactly what she had wanted out of her 19 years of life. She had made Jounin only 2 months prior, and yet her missionload was diminishing. She still worked part-time at the clinic, but the past few weeks Tsunade had requested her as an office assistant due to the backup in paperwork. One could only guess that said backup was due to the 5th Hokage's own lazy habits.

She uncapped her pen, and set to work begrudgingly, letting her mind wander. She missed Naruto, who seemed to always conveniently be away on missions related to 'keeping the peace'. She tended to envy him - he still had the freedom to travel and do his shinobi thing, yet she was locked away as Tsunade's assistant until she could receive her Medic Jounin certification and practice freely. At this point, she only had her Medic Chuunin certification, limiting her to part-time clinic work as a head nurse. Tsunade had told her to rest assured - that with all the practice and knowledge she had picked up in her tenure, that she would ace the certification test just fine. All Sakura had to do was sit around and wait for the next testing date.

She also missed her silly sensei, who also seemed to be busier than ever alongside Naruto. In fact, everyone in the village seemed to be busier than before. Then again, if only she gave herself enough credit, she supposed that in a way she was a lot busier as well. She puffed her pink locks away from her cheeks, and grumbled lightly. She wanted action, adventure - like the good old days.

Her mind flitted back to her brief encounter with Tsunade that morning, and how she had mentioned 'mission' related things as she had mercilessly scratched that notepad to death. Sakura's curiosity swelled. Perhaps there were a way she could convince Tsunade to permit her to go on more...interesting missions again?

"Shizune," Sakura called over her desk to the dark-haired woman across the room.

Shizune glanced up, looking frazzled as usual. "Yes, Sakura?"

"Do you know if there are any missions that have openings coming up?"

Shizune brought the end of her pen up to her lips and thought for a few moments. "I believe there's one that's heading to the Mist village that's coming up soon. Why, are you interested?"

"Very," Sakura responded with a weak smile. "I need a break."

"I don't blame you. Tsunade-sama should be back any minute now, so you ca---"

"YAHOOOO~!" the office door flung open, and there stood the lady in question, cheeks stained a blotchy red. Shizune's brow twitched.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune said stiffly, measuring each word so as not to add too many hints of anger behind them. "I thought I told you to wait until after office hours to break out the _sake_."

Tsunade smiled crookedly, her words sloshing out, "Oh you did? I thought that was just a polite suggestion." She stumbled past Sakura's desk, patting it as she went, and slumped into her chair. "Sakuraaaa! Get any work done?"

Sakura sighed. "Yes, Hokage-sama. But I'd like to have a quick word with you...Are you sober enough?"

"Not even close. But give it a shot," Tsunade answered. She waved at Shizune to leave the room, and she did so, flashing a look of pity at Sakura when she passed her. She quietly closed the door behind herself.

Sakura slowly rose from her chair and shyly crossed over to Tsunade's desk, wringing her hands. "Um...Tsunade-sama...you know that I like working as your apprentice and everything, right?"

"Of course. Why else would you stick around so long?" Tsunade said, letting out a rowdy guffaw. Sakura winced. She had a point.

"Well, I was wondering...It's been so long since I've been on a real mission, so I was hoping you could possibly set me up with one. I know that I need my Medic Jounin certification before I can do true medicnin work at this rank, but...You know..."

Tsunade's laughter died short, and she cleared her throat. "Actually, Sakura, that's something I wanted to discuss with you. Here, pull up that chair." She pointed to a lone chair off to the side.

Sakura obeyed, dragging the piece of furniture and parking it in front of Tsunade's desk, plopping down.

"You see, you're a Jounin now... And, well. You're 19 years old. This means you aren't just a Jounin, but a legal adult," Tsunade began. Sakura nodded, vaguely wondering if this would turn into an awkward off shoot of the infamous 'talk'.

"This means that....Frankly, you're open for a whole new brand of mission. However, there's one little flaw with you that makes me nervous about exposing you to that branch of shinobi work."

Sakura's ears perked. "There is? What is it?"

"I'm sure you remember our uncomfortable little conversation this morning," Tsunade said, donning a smug smile.

Sakura's mind quickly leafed through the brief exchange of words. "About my virginity?" she asked.

"Yes. You're virginity. And that you still have it," Tsunade replied.

"Why is that so important?" Sakura demanded, starting to bristle.

Tsunade folded her hands and rested them on her desk, looking Sakura in the eye and actually looking sober for once. "Because, Sakura. This branch of work that I'm referring to is ladynin work."

The pit of Sakura's stomach did a couple shoddy attempts at flipping over, and Sakura swallowed sharply. "'Ladynin'?" She repeated back. "What's that...?"

"Of course you know that a man's greatest weakness usually happens to be an attractive member of the opposite sex," Tsunade deadpanned. "Ladynin are kunoichi who are trained in...well, let's say _targeting_ this weakness, and exploiting it."

Sakura choked. "Like, seduction!?"

"Sort of, but not quite. Being a ladynin takes more than just seduction - it takes charm, and of course it takes being a finely honed kunoichi. You have to be able to get your target to trust you completely... And by doing so, you may have to seduce them," Tsunade explained, using various awkward hand gestures as she went.

"...How many ladynin are there in Konoha?"

Tsunade smiled. "That's classified information, Sakura. All I can say is that you've met quiiite a few in your lifetime so far."

A mild look of disgust swept over Sakura's face. "So wait... is this like, a rite of passage or something?"

"In a sense, for the most skilled of kunoichi. I wanted to refer you to become one, but...now I don't think I can do so."

"Well I don't know if I'd want to become one... I don't want to have to sleep with creepy, hairy guys!" Sakura cried, resting her face in her hands.

"Oh jeez, come on, Sakura." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "It's a very valuable experience, and the seduction usually does not get incorporated. I thought that with your skill, you'd make a great one, but due to your little...virginity issue, it would be a bad idea."

"What, are you afraid that if I went out as a virgin and had to sleep with one of those guys, I'd get attached?"

"It's a very real possibility," Tsunade replied grimly. "And it's happened before."

"Well, then you don't have to worry. I guess I don't qualify," Sakura said cheerfully.

"Yeah, I guess you don't..." Tsunade sighed. "Fuck..."

Sakura blinked. "Wait, you really wanted me to do this?"

"Just think. A kunoichi like yourself, with your strength yet demure appearance....Your knowledge in poisons and harmful medications...Don't those sound like the perfect qualities for a ladynin?"

"I suppose so...But the whole seduction thing..."

"Well. Look at it this way," Tsunade said. "Once you lose your virginity, let's talk. All I can say is that if you're bored of sitting around here doing paperwork, which I know you are, and want to get out and be actively involved again - it would be a great experience. Plus, it would heighten your skills, and ladynin are among the most well-paid in the industry."

An escape from paperwork.... Sakura nearly kicked herself when it started sounding appealing. "I'll consider it," she said simply.

"Well, that's all I can ask. Now, is our little chat done?"

"I guess so," Sakura grumbled. She stood up and pushed her chair aside.

"Here, why not call it a day? You have been working awfully hard here, and I'm sure Shizune can handle the rest."

"You sure?"

"Yuppp."

"All right." She gathered her things and tidied her stack of papers, then slid into her jacket. "I'll see you tomorrow, shishou."

"Bye, Sakura."

She quickly strode through the halls, her mind buzzing. Ladynin missions? The idea of kunoichi using charm to bait enemynin wasn't foreign at all, but she had thought that such specialized kunoichi were archaic and unnecessary nowadays. And to think that Tsunade wanted her to become one?

She pushed open the exit door, and was greeted by the crisp evening air running through her pink locks. It sounded like an interesting line of work, and like Tsunade said, seduction wasn't the primary aspect as much as it was a potential evil... And if it would give her a change of scenery and get her out of this damned situation for a change...

But then, there was that one little thing. The fact that she was still painfully a virgin, and was picky as hell about losing it. She still refused to let go of the ideals she had dreamed of as a young girl - find a nice boy, stick with him, lose her virginity to him and marry him. Never be with anyone else.

Perhaps she put too much importance on it - after all, the only thing that represented if she had 'done it' or not was that small flap of flesh, easily torn and easily forgotten. In fact, most young kunoichi broke it by accident during training. So why hadn't Sakura?

She chewed her lip as she walked. She was fairly certain that Ino had been deflowered quite a while ago, but perhaps she could ask her for her opinion. After all, the pro's were beginning to outweigh everything else.

---

_**End chapter 1**_


	2. One Night

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far! As for someone who asked about why i chose a silly-sounding term such as ladynin...I have no clue why, it popped in my head and I could come up with nothing better to replace it. So give me a better suggestion, then. xDD**

Rhymes of an Hour

chapter 2: One Night

---

"What?" Ino sputtered, flecks of alcohol projecting from her mouth and onto Sakura's face. Sakura winced, and cleaned her face stiffly. It seemed that the day had been full of shock and flying liquids.

"Ladynin missions," Sakura said again. "Like...remember that stuff that we used to hear about, in the olden times before villages were more communicative?"

"You mean that epic-sounding stuff? Yeah, that was part of why I wanted to become a kunoichi in the first place!" Ino declared. "The romance of a forbidden love with a member of an opposing village....yadda yadda...having sex with him, then selling him out. What part of that is NOT attractive?"

Sakura stared at her friend blankly. "Only you, Ino," she said simply.

They were seated at a small table off to the side, in a less noisy corner of the club. Ino was rapidly downing her margaritas, while Sakura shed no worry in catching up, casually sipping at her own. She had squeezed into a black mini-skirt and a lavender halter top with a pair of black ankle boots, whereas Ino had gone all out - gelling her ponytail, wearing a clingy black belly shirt and the tiniest jean-skirt that Sakura had ever seen, which did little to cover up her obvious cherry red thong. Sakura briefly wondered why she and this girl were ever even friends with their clashing views of modesty.

Ino smiled goofily. "Okay, okay. I know. Still, it seems to be a very interesting field anyway. So Tsunade brought it up with you, anddd...?"

"And then she deemed that I wasn't eligible."

Ino snorted. "What?! Why?" She covered her mouth and continued to break into a string of snorty-laughs.

"Pig," Sakura shot. "Because...well...because yeah."

"Because you're not hot enough?"

"No. She was actually very disappointed that I couldn't take on this duty," Sakura sniffed. "It's just that, well."

Ino leaned forward impatiently.

"I'm a virgin," Sakura admitted softly.

Ino's eyes tripled in size, and she leaned back, mouth falling agape. "Say WHAT?" she said. "Oh no...oh no. You can't be..." Her hand flew to her lips.

"I am."

"Oh my god...Sakura, I'm so sorry," she gushed, snatching her hand in her own and stroking it tenderly. "It's okay."

Sakura blinked at her blonde friend, disturbed. "Ino, it's fine. It's just a minor setback. Anywho, she said to come back once I've lost it."

"And when will that be?"

"I...don't know." Sakura hung her head. "I admit, that up until now I've been a bit of a prude when it comes to guys and dating in general. After the whole Sasuke fiasco I couldn't even bear the thought of giving my heart to another guy. Now I know not to even expect to give my heart to anyone. But still... if I were to begin my ladynin training, I could get out of my desk work, I'd be making more money...I could also work on my Medic Jounin certification on the side too, you know."

"The only thing missing is that you've still got your hymen and that virgin mentality," Ino said wistfully.

"Exactly. And I'm wondering if...you know...maybe I'm weighing way too much significance on it. Afterall, it's just sex, right?"

Ino nodded. "I mean, I sorta clung to the first guy I did it with...but after that, it just becomes this everyday thing. Sex. Something two people do when they're really horny and need a fix. Or if you're married."

"So I've just been a prude. I just need to lose that mentality. I mean, what's holding me back?...Aside from my prudish attitude..." Sakura rubbed her arm self-consciously.

"I dunno. I'd say find a decent guy who won't be too much of a jerk when you do it. Unless you're going to try and find a steady boyfriend first."

"I don't _know_. That's why I'm asking you. I want to get out doing missions again...."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up. Why can't you just do regular missions and hold off on the whole ladynin thing?" Ino asked.

"Because Tsunade's pressuring me to study for my Medic Jounin certification, and until then I've promised to be her full-time assistant. Seeing as she wants me to reach ladynin status, she's pushing for it. Other than that, she wants me around the office to do her bidding."

"That doesn't make much sense," Ino said, shaking her head.

"You think I don't know that?" Sakura groaned. "This seems to be my only way out."

"Well what about just waiting until you get your Medic Jounin license? When's the test?"

"4 months from now."

Ino almost dropped her glass. "4 MONTHS!? What the hell!?"

"It's a big test, Ino..." Sakura said with a sigh. "And I only just made Jounin a little bit ago."

"Ehh, that's true...But still....4 months...Yikes, now I understand where you're coming from." She gulped down more of her drunk, and sighed. "So what, do you want to just try to have me set you up with a guy who will take you home and make it worth your while?"

"Yes....maybe....well, no. I'm picky."

"That's for sure," Ino commented with a scoff. "Are you even cut out for ladynin work? I mean, you'll have to touch boys' penises, Sakura. Hell, you may even have to have lesbian sex from the sounds of it."

"I know that, Ino." Sakura said, turning a bright shade of red. "But Tsunade has a point - I do have a lot of useful skills that would make for a great ladynin. I just have to get over my aversion to sex."

"You say that as if it's an easy feat."

"It could be, if I worked at it. I just...have to find a nice, decent guy who will have sex with me. And be gentle. And not end up wanting anything else out of it," Sakura said.

"That last one should be easy," Ino grumbled. "Men are shirking bastards who hate the word commitment. Seriously. Just breathe anything that sounds like it, and they'll be out of there like there's no tomorrow."

"Just...._who_?"

The two girls sat in deep thought for a few moments.

"Naruto?" Ino suggested.

Sakura made the most disgusted face she could muster. "...Ew, no! He's like my brother!"

"Sorry, sorry. Umm...Lee?"

Sakura made another disgusted face. "I have standards, Ino!!"

"Neji?"

"He and I have shared maybe like, 3 words in the past 3 years."

"Chouji?"

"...."

"He's nice, Sakura."

"...Keep going."

"Fine. Um. Shikamaru?"

"Isn't he going after that Sand chick?"

"Ah, that's true," Ino said. "What about Kiba?"

"He reminds me too much of Naruto with that whole gung-ho personality."

"Shino?"

"I can't stand bugs."

"Well then, fuck. I don't know!" Ino whined. "Damn, you _are_ picky."

"Well, it's just weird! We've known all these guys since we were at the academy. We've grown up with them. Plus, what makes you think any of them would sleep with me?"

"You're not horrid, Sakura. You're actually quite attractive. If you would freaking open up your span of vision and awareness, you'd see that half the guys here have at least given you the one-over," Ino said, throwing up her hands.

"....No, they haven't," Sakura dismissed quickly.

"See? You need a little confidence first before you can do this. Maybe you're just rushing yourself."

"Yes, but..." She pouted. "I feel like it's something I should do. Besides, I'm 19 years old. How many other 19 year old girls are virgins?"

"I'm sure Hinata is."

"That isn't much of a comfort - just look at her. She's still fawning over Naruto from afar."

"You're right. That's just inhuman devotion."

"Exactly. I don't want that."

"Well, Sakura. You're pretty much on your own," Ino said, draining her glass. "Fuck, I'm out. I mean... You're so picky when it comes to guys, yet you're acting sort of desperate right now. Give it a few weeks. Try going out more and talking to more guys - I'm pretty sure that you'll be surprised. And if you dangle the chance for sex with no strings attached, you'll get even _more_ guys."

"You're right. I just have to have confidence," Sakura said. She took in a deep breath and exhaled it. Then she snatched her drink and gulped it down even faster than Ino.

"I think we need more..." she said sheepishly, cheeks turning pink.

---

The two young women swayed and stumbled their way down the streets, singing feminist-themed songs at the top of their lungs without a care for how painfully off-key they were. Ino nearly tripped over Sakura's leg, and struggled to regain her composure, laughing hysterically.

"O-Oh my god, Sakura..." she squealed. "Tonight was amazing. We should really do this again."

Sakura giggled and let out an involuntary snort, which only caused more crazed giggles to ensue. Ino's eyes widened, and her incessant laughter increased in volume and pitch. Sakura's hand flew up to her mouth, and she attempted to stuff it into her mouth to stifle the infectious laughter.

"We should," Sakura sang airily. "Just not on a night before work. Otherwise...otherwise I'll be SO hungover...."

"That's for sure!" Ino chirped and broke out into more insane cackles. She slumped against the side of a building to steady herself, and Sakura joined her, pressing her back against the frigid surface.

"That feels good," Sakura cooed, rubbing her back up and down slowly. Ino shot her a confused look, and began to do the same.

"Not really."

"Well, it does for me. That's all that counts...."

"Yeah, well that's cause your forehead's the size of the country."

"And you're a pig. Enough said."

The two let out a few more giggles and when everything began to die down, Ino pointed spontaneously at the sky. "Look. It's...it's uhm...what's it called..."

"Orion's Belt?" Sakura offered.

"Yeah, that thing... I can never find the rest of him though. I guess I'm just no good when it comes to finding shapes out of aimless dots in the sky."

"I'm sure it takes a specific amount of talent," Sakura tried to reassure her, clearing her throat absentmindedly after she had finished speaking.

They both stood there kind of awkwardly, until Ino flung herself away from the wall. "Welp, I'm heading home. Do you think you can manage from here?"

"Of course, Ino. I can see my apartment from here."

"Can you really?"

"Yes..."

"Well then fine. You'll be okay. See ya." She waved, and then turned on her heels and walked away.

Sakura lingered there for a few moments, feeling her mind begin to allow logic and reasoning to seep back in. Ah, so she was starting to sober up. That wasn't much fun. She glanced down at her hands, and then raised them up against the night's sky, examining them. Calloused and only vaguely feminine.

She dropped her hands to her sides, and puffed out an indignant sigh. There had to be some way... to just get the whole deflowering ordeal out of the way so she could move on with her life already. But then her heart had a nasty habit of getting that achy 'this doesn't feel right, Sakura' gut feeling.... And then she would wonder if maybe she was just meant to wait and lose it to her future husband.

Ah, but the toils of paperwork...compared to being around Naruto and Kakashi and Sai again... Who cares if she would have to be around creepy guys once in a while now, she was sure that if she got on Tsunade's comfy side by taking up the ladynin training, she'd relent and let her go out on regular team missions again. She was beginning to feel so lonely, after all... And what was virginity, really, except a whole lot of nothing with a whole lot of useless emphasis put on it? It was like finding a delightfully wrapped present, and then opening it up to find nothing inside the package, right?

Sakura slowly eased herself off of the wall, and began to amble down the street lazily, feeling her legs nearly double beneath herself a few times. She paused, taking in a deep breath. Her apartment was right down the street, she could see her little azalea bush pointing out from beyond that 'Welcome!' flag that belonged to her neighbors, the Fukuda's. All she needed to do was push herself to get there.

One step. Two step. Left, right. Right, left....Left...Left...What the hell?

She growled in frustration, and gravitated towards the walled-side of the street, using it to guide herself forward.

"Need a little help?"

It was so unexpected that she could've sworn that she hadn't heard it at all in the first place.

So she acted like she didn't. And she continued to struggle, weighing each step she took carefully while the night sky swirled to her left.

"Sakura."

Somehow, the voice speaking her name got her attention. She flicked her head around, and saw her sensei standing there, looking rather concerned and amused at the same time.

"Oh, Kakashi-sensei..." Sakura said, eyes widening in wonder. "What...What are you doing here? It's like, 2:30AM."

"I'm on my way home," he expressed simply. "What about you?" He cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her.

"I'm on my way home too," she said sheepishly, a messy grin spreading across her cheeks.

"Well not at this rate, you aren't. It seems like you'll never make it," Kakashi commented with a chuckle. "Let me help you?"

"Psh, no. I have pride, you know." Sakura used the wall as a sort of crutch, walking along with a little more ease. Her plant bobbed closer and closer into view.

Kakashi threw up his arms, and began to follow alongside her. "Then I'll just walk with you."

"Whatever you want, sensei."

"Jeez...it just feels so wrong having you call me that while you're so painfully under the influence of alcohol and all other things grown up." He laughed weakly. "I feel so... old."

"Well maybe you should."

"You've got a merciless tongue when you're drunk, Sakura."

She turned and flashed him a playful smile before briefly sticking her tongue out. "I know, I know. But using it on you is so much fun, after all."

"So I see you were out with Ino," he mused.

"Yep."

"Did you have a fun girl's night out?"

Sakura flashed him a disturbed look. "Yes..."

"That's good." He smiled pleasantly, his silver hair catching in the moonlight and illuminating a pure white.

"Sensei, you have pretty hair," Sakura murmured before she could catch herself.

He blinked at her. "Why thank you. Your hair isn't that bad, either. It could be worse - you could have blown chunks in it."

"Hah. Thank Kami-sama that it's not long enough." She lazily tugged on a pink lock, admiring its cleanliness.

"OOF."

So she had reached her destination. And then tripped over it. Her azalea plant tried to ensnare her within its grasp, and Sakura found herself on her back, staring up at her very amused sensei.

He extended a hand to help her up, and she begrudgingly took it, hoisting herself up.

"On second thought, I'm glad that I followed you home," Kakashi said.

"Wait. What?" Sakura froze while brushing herself off.

"I followed you two home from the club. I was on my way home and saw you two - drunk as sin, and I knew that if I let you two just continue, that something utterly stupid and perhaps fatal would happen. And I was right - look what happened just from me walking next to you." Kakashi gestured around them.

"You....you stalker!" Sakura shot, jabbing her index finger into the gut of his Jounin vest. Kakashi winced, and cleared his throat.

"I was merely trying to look out for the welfare of my favorite student," he said, holding up his arms in defense.

"No, you're just a pervert."

"Or that," he said, shrugging. "Just remind me to never take you to any karaoke competitions when you're drunk. You sound absolutely horrid."

"Thanks," she said, scowling. "If you'll excuse me, I have some sleeping to do to ensure my hangover isn't so brutal."

"Oh, sweetie. It will be very brutal," he said, patting her head affectionately. "I'd suggest keeping a bottle of aspirin at your bedside before you fall asleep."

She grumbled. "Thanks for the tip..."

"Any time." He rocked back and forth casually on his heels, and then gestured to her door. "Are you able to...?"

"Yes!" she snapped, withdrawing her keyring from her pocket. She proceeded to try to jab one of the keys into the door to no avail. "Fuck...fuck..."

Kakashi swooped in from behind and snatched the array of keys, flipping through each until he found her house key, then inserted it and unlocked the door in a few easy motions. He dropped the keyring into her eager palms when he was done.

"Yeah, I'm_ really_ glad I followed you," he said.

Sakura tested her front door, pleased to find that it swung open. "Thanks, sensei..." she muttered.

"Anytime. Oh, by the way. I overheard something interesting while you two were walking..."

She blinked up at him, cheeks bright red. Oh shit.... "Y-Yes?" she asked weakly.

"Something about...ladynin missions?"

Sakura stumbled back, worried that she would collapse into a faint. "W-What about them?" she demanded.

He appeared as cool-headed as ever, shrugging. "Nothing... I just wanted to know what they were."

"..." She gaped. "Wait, surely you know..."

"No. I don't."

She blinked at him blankly for a few moments, and then grinned at him broadly. "You mean I know something you don't know!?"

"Rest assured, Sakura - when it comes to the feminine life, there are many things that you know that I could never."

"No, no. I mean like...I know about shinobi stuff that YOU don't know about?"

Kakashi looked vaguely perturbed. "I suppose so. Which is why it piqued my interest."

Sakura puffed out her chest. "Let me savor this..." She took in the deepest breath she could, held it for as long as she could, and then released it leisurely. Kakashi sighed, and rested his hands on his hips, tapping his foot impatiently.

"It's not that big of a deal, Sakura... if you don't want to tell me, I'm sure I could find out from someone else," he informed her, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's...well..." Sakura pressed her finger to her chin in thought. "It's special kunoichi stuff. You wouldn't understand."

"Ahh. I see. Well then, I guess it just wasn't meant to be my knowledge."

"Exactly. So you should just give up and go home - I'm safe now."

"And that's all that counts," he agreed with a nod.

"So! Maybe if you're lucky, I'll tell you some other time..." Sakura jabbed him in the chest again playfully, a wicked grin playing on her lips.

"We'll see. Unless I ask Anko first."

She pouted. "You're no fun... Well! I'll see you around, Sensei!" She gave him a quick, loose hug, and then disappeared inside of her apartment.

Kakashi waved halfheartedly. "Bye, Sakura. Don't forget the aspirin."

"I won't!" She slammed the door, hearing his chuckles resonate from the other side. Ahh...the thought of knowing something that Kakashi-sensei, the all-knowing know-it-all didn't know... A dazed smile refused to leave her face. It felt so good!

She made sure to retrieve the bottle of aspirin from her cabinet, and felt her way into her bedroom, setting it next to her lamp. In a way, it did surprise her that Kakashi didn't know about ladynin stuff...She pulled her shirt over her head, and began to kick off her shoes. However, in a way it made sense. Even she hadn't dreamed that that stuff would still be around in modern times. She shimmied out of her skirt, and tossed her clothes across the room messily, caring not where they landed.

She layed back across her bed, smiling and trying to imagine herself as a ladynin. An object of desire? Would men really fall for her charms? Sakura touched her breasts self-consciously. Did she have any charms?

Perhaps losing her virginity would prove to her that. She pulled the unmade covers up to her chin, and let out a big yawn.

She just had to get to that point first.

**A/n: so i kinda just realized that it seems that in many of my fanfics, alcohol is featured prominently. ehehehe...**


	3. One Prelude

**A/N: Hello, everyone! :D I'm back with an update after a much-too long hiatus. I've been actually making an effort to plan this fanfic beforehand, which is very much an obvious contrast to my previous fics. Let me just say that I hate this senior year of highschool, but I know it's probably more like a breath of fresh air considered to how swamped I'll be during college. Ughhhh... T_T Anyway, here it is! The 3rd chapter!**

**Please read and review! Even if you tell me I suck, it will help me stride towards improvement. Also, I have an important question. The next chapter will include a lemon. I'm wondering if I should just sort of make it subtle, or go all out and make it my first lemon posted on this site? I'm just paranoid about getting in trouble and getting booted off the site. D: So let me know what you'd like!  
**

_**Rhymes of an Hour**_

**Chapter 3:**

_One Prelude_

---

Sure enough, Kakashi proved that he was no liar, and after having a day full of a nausea-inducing headache, Sakura was able to recuperate enough to return to work two mornings after her fated drinking encounter with Ino. That same pesky issue was still clouding the back of her mind, but she chose to try and push it away until she could have a pain-free night to really think back through it.

She arrived at work 15 minutes early, pushing the door to Tsunade's office open slowly, and tiptoed inside so as to avoid disturbing a potentially napping Hokage. She set her things down silently, and flicked her eyes up in the direction of her shissou's desk, surprised to find it vacant. She let out a tiny sigh of relief, and plopped down in her chair, looking over the neat stack of papers that Shizune had laid out for her. They consisted of typical town things, such as permit requests for public functions, shinobi rank advancement exam requests, and other bland types of things that Tsunade herself was probably legally required to do herself. As she put her pen to the topmost paper, the office door opened swiftly.

Tsunade trudged in, rubbing her eyes with her fists lethargically, and then gave Sakura an amused look. "Well, aren't we diligent this morning?"

Sakura glanced up at her, and smiled weakly. "I just figured I'd get a good headstart today, shissou."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Tsunade said, waving her hand in dismissal. "Actually, it's a good thing you're here early. There was something I wanted to go over with you quickly."

Sakura's heart leaped in her chest. "Yes?"

Tsunade stole a nearby chair and dragged it over, sitting herself down. "About... what I proposed two days ago."

"You mean the ladynin stuff?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yes. I, well... I wanted to apologize for how I sort of was pushing you into considering it. After you came out and told me that you were a," she cleared her throat to signify the term that Sakura so painfully recognized, "I realize that I shouldn't have continued trying to push you into it. That was wrong of me, and I apologize."

"No, no really, shissou," Sakura said quickly. "I was completely fine with it. In fact, I_ have_ been considering it more since you brought it up..."

A look of surprise and another emotion that Sakura couldn't fully place swept over Tsunade's features. "Really?" she asked, leaning back in her chair. "But Sakura, you realize that you can't unless--"

"Unless I were to somehow become unvirginal, yes? Yeah, I know."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Well, I mean, the job will be waiting for you whenever it so happens that you become available, so there's no rush. I was just pushy because... Well, because too many of our good ones are retiring to spit out babies."

Sakura nodded, a little too eagerly.

The blonde hokage merely blinked. "So I just wanted to get it straight that I'm sorry if I came off as rushing you..."

"No, not at all."

"Then... good!" Tsunade stood up promptly, and returned her chair to its original spot. She turned and flashed Sakura a smile. "So we're clear, then?"

Sakura nodded. "Of course."

"Well, then I'll just go... you know, head off and do my usual thing. Try to find new, creative ways to slack off and avoid work," Tsunade informed her amid stretching. "See ya," she quickly darted for the door, and was gone.

Sakura sat there, contemplating things while absentmindedly tapping her pen against the desk. Was it really bad that she was thinking about devirginalizing herself just for an employment opportunity? She bit her lip. Was it....whorish of her? A confident voice insider her head quickly shot down each doubt, reassuring her that her motives were sound.

---

As she headed down the steps and outside for her lunch break, she caught sight of her former sensei approaching with his nose hidden in a book. Immediately, a wicked grin spread across her face, and she called out to him, and waved, despite knowing he wouldn't be able to see it. Kakashi lifted his head, and his gaze fell on her, his eyes crinkling. Sakura hopped down a few more steps, leveling herself with him.

"'Afternoon, sensei. What are _you_ here for?" she asked teasingly.

Kakashi folded down the corner of the page he was on as a makeshift bookmark, then closed the book and tucked it into his pants pocket. "Just checking in with Shizune quick to see if that ointment I requested is here."

"Ointment?" Sakura repeated, her nose crinkling. "What for?"

Kakashi tugged up his pant leg, then rolled it up to display a large gash on the inner side of his shin. Sakura gulped.

"W-Wha?! How'd you get that??" she demanded.

Kakashi shrugged, and she could tell he was smiling beneath his mask. "Kids these days. They're catching up to me. I had to substitute for Iruka early this morning at the academy, and today just so happened to be target practice day."

Sakura winced. "Ouch..."

"They're cute kids," Kakashi said, kicking his leg slightly to coerce his pantleg to fall back into place. "But boy, can they throw."

"Hmm...." The mischievous grin returned to Sakura's lips, and she poked a finger into his stomach. "Say, did you ever find out what ladynin missions are?"

Kakashi batted her hand away, shaking his head in defeat. "Nope. You got me there, Sakura. Revel in it as much as you like. To be perfectly honest, I don't really care much."

Sakura pouted her lips. "Oh, really? You don't?" Her expression brightened to one of smugness. "Fine, then! I'll revel in it, all right. See ya, sensei!" She hopped down the remainder of the steps, and exited the tower promptly.

Kakashi climbed a few more steps, and then glanced back over his shoulder at the door, a deep frown knitting his brow.

--

At last, at around 4:30 that afternoon, the last folder had been filed, the last exam approval requests had been stamped, and Sakura was pleased to find that the stack that she had come in to tackle that morning had now diminished to absolutely nothing. She spread her arms and stretched, letting out a half-hearted yawn, and then drummed her fingers on her desk, contemplating what to do now that work was essentially over.

Her stomach gave a weak rumbling, and forced her to acknowledge her newly-present hunger. She ran her fingers over her abdomen, wondering what to eat for dinner. Then, similar to a strike of lightning, something flashed inside her mind. Ramen. She could seriously go for some Ichiraku right now - not the crappy cup kind from the store, but a real big steaming bowl of chicken-flavored ramen, topped with veggies and accompanied by a smaller yet still large bowl of warm rice with just the right amount of shoyu poured on top. Dear Kami, her mouth was watering. She stood up, garnering a look of surprise from Tsunade across the room, who had been lazily filing her nails.

"You all done, Sakura?" she inquired.

"Yes, shishou," Sakura replied, pushing in her chair. "Am I free to go?"

Tsunade waved a hand, yawning. "Sure, sure, I don't need you anymore tonight."

Sakura beamed and made her escape before Tsunade could possibly think up another reason to keep her. She darted down the tower steps, nearly crashing into Shizune who was clutching a tray of tea and crackers. She quickly apologized and continued on her way, forcing the heavy door to the entrance open and claiming her freedom.

By now her stomach was practically wailing for that ramen. She wandered off towards the Ichiraku stand, admiring the mild colors of twilight that were smeared across the sky. Meanwhile a thought creeped into her head. Didn't Ino suggest, after dismissing Sakura as a lost cause far beyond her own skills, that she should go out and meet guys whom she wouldn't mind sleeping with? As the brightly lit ramen stand came into view, the idea began to seem more like a good one, and she knew that at this time of night her chances of seeing a nice-looking guy would be far from bad.

--

It was dusk when Shizune returned to the office after a short shift at the clinic, and she pushed open the door to find Tsunade in her desk chair, facing the windows.

"Uhm...Tsunade-sama?" Shizune timidly asked, flipping on the lightswitch. She saw Tsunade's shoulders heave with a sigh, and the blonde hokage swiveled around to face her.

"Oh, you're back early," Tsunade commented, raising her arms to stretch and letting out a weak yawn.

"Yes," Shizune replied, crossing over to her desk and setting down her things. "What have you been doing all evening?"

"Oh, nothing," Tsunade said, tapping her fingernails on the surface of her desk absently. "Just thinking."

"About anything in particular?" Shizune pulled up a chair, and took a seat.

"Surprisingly, yes," Tsunade muttered. "About Sakura."

"Is she okay?" A look of worry crossed Shizune's features momentarily.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. It's no big deal. I'm just trying to figure out what to do about her."

"Hm?"

"Shizune," Tsunade said, voice low. "Sakura's a virgin. I can't put her up to the task."

"Oh, is that what this is about?" Shizune leaned back, crossing her arms. "Well then, you'll just have to look for other replacements I guess."

Tsunade shook her head. "You don't understand. Nobody's really into signing up these days. That whole entire branch is dying."

"I'm not surprised, it's pretty archaic, Tsunade-sama."

"She was the perfect kunoichi to take part and really bring some life into it again. Things are starting to brew again out there, as you know."

Shizune nodded. "I do know, but still, if she's a virgin then there's really nothing you can do about it."

"Not necessarily..." Tsunade stroked her chin in thought. "I could always hire somebody..."

"Tsunade!" Shizune choked on her breath. "That's a horrible thought! You wouldn't dare!"

"Just somebody to act as her boyfriend for a little while, no real big deal," Tsunade said, waving her hand.

"That IS a big deal, Tsunade-sama," Shizune ground out, clenching her jaw. "I can't believe you'd even go so far as to consider that! Think of poor Sakura's feelings... At her age, doing...." She cleared her throat, a blush surfacing to her cheeks. "D-doing IT is still really intimate and serious to someone at her age. You can't just force it on her. Why can't you just wait for her to lose it naturally?"

"Because by then she may have already lost interest, Shizune!" Tsunade slammed her fist on the desk. "And, let alone the fact that it's Sakura we're talking about. She's not like other girls her age, she isn't going to be prowling for a steady boyfriend anytime soon." She relaxed and sighed, bowing her head. "She's too much like I was, at her age. Married to her job."

"Tsunade-sama..." Shizune murmured, watching the older woman grit her teeth while remembering something painful.

"And it's just that... Well, you know how hard it was for me after Dan died..." Tsunade began, her hair falling like a curtain over her eyes.

Shizune nodded as a curt, painful jolt went through her heart at remembering the loss of her uncle. "Yes, Tsunade-sama... I do. It was hard for everyone, really."

"Well, the way I coped was throwing myself back into my missions, as you know. And you know that I worked on missions that were very similar to those of a ladynin," Tsunade continued with a sigh. "It was just a great experience, and it helped me hone so many more of my skills... I really think that it would be worth Sakura's while to experience the same things..."

"What, are you trying to make her follow in each of your footsteps?" Shizune asked, arching an eyebrow.

Tsunade lifted her head with a small smile. "Maybe. Maybe it's just part of my plan for her to surpass me and become stronger."

"But Tsunade-sama, in order for Sakura to surpass you she doesn't have to become a seductive killing machine!" Shizune barked. "Besides, I can't imagine Sakura being a ladynin, her personality is too innocent."

"Which is why I want her to join that group and become a little... stronger, femininity-wise."

"There are other ways for Sakura to become stronger! Just look at me - I'm strong, and I'm certainly not involved in any of that stuff!"

Tsunade folded her hands under her chin, and smiled wistfully at Shizune. "When the time comes, I'll approach her about it again."

--

Sakura stepped up to the stand and one of the workers took her order. Just as she turned to catch a seat, she caught sight of a handsome man with chestnut tufts of hair wearing a Konoha Jounin vest.

She creeped over, planting herself conveniently beside him, and flashed her eyes up at him while making sure to bat her eyelashes as subtly as possible. "H-Hello," she greeted him, her heart pounding violently. Inner Sakura was having a field day. _You're sure to mess this up, you idiot! Besides, this guy looks way too good for you!_ Sakura tried to ignore the unencouraging voice in her head, and was happy when the man looked down at her and offered a small smile.

"Why, hello. I don't believe I've seen you around here before..."

Sakura laughed as attractively as she could, which came out as a short sound that sounded similar to a scoff. "Well, you see I'm usually working during this hour. I got out early so I thought I'd treat myself to some ramen to celebrate."

The man grinned. "A grand idea indeed. Your uniform ..." He pointed to the simple white smock that Sakura wore over her usual clothes. "Are you in the medical field?"

"Actually, yes I am," Sakura responded happily. "I'm a medicnin waiting for my Medical Jounin certification."

"Oh, how exciting," the man said. He then turned around and scanned the evening bustle taking place on the streets, his eyes widening. "Oh, I must be heading off..." He gently patted Sakura's shoulder and hopped off of his stool, taking off in the opposite direction. Sakura frowned, and turned around to try and catch sight of his whereabouts. What she saw made her frown deepen. The handsome dreamy man she had been talking to had run into the arms of another smiling man just outside the vicinity of the crowd. They shared a quick kiss, then walked off hand-in-hand. Sakura's jaw dropped.

_Haha, I told you so!_ Inner Sakura taunted.

Sakura scowled. Okay, so the first one turned out to be gay...But there have to be other attractive men coming here for dinner. The chef set her bowl down in front of her, and she slowly began to eat, trying to take as much time as she could. People came and left, mostly couples or small families, and she soon finished her meal with a sigh. She waved down one of the cooks and ordered a second bowl of ramen, to which the man obliged and began to fix for her.

Soon enough, another handsome man sat down beside her, but as soon as she caught sight of the gleam of his wedding band, her heart sank yet again. However, the man turned to her and upon receiving his order, began to lick his spoon seductively while giving her a wanton look. Sakura's cheeks darkened in anger, and she scooted down a seat to avoid the man's advances. 'What a creep,' she thought to herself.

After she had devoured her second bowl, she felt stuffed and disheartened. She paid for her meal and hopped off the stool, walking home with tears pricking at her eyes. If only she were Ino... Ino could whisk men off their feet just with one glance, and send them rushing to her side. All she could do was get creepy married men to look her way, and get hot gay men to talk to her. She groaned, beginning to regret the large amount of ramen that she had eaten when she noticed her stomach sloshing with each step. She rubbed at her eyes, trying to make the growing wetness disappear, which only caused more tears to well up.

With both fists rubbing at her eyes, she failed to notice that she was growing dangerously close to a distracted Kakashi, until it was too late. She bumped into him suddenly, and she let out a tiny yelp, dropping her hands and looking up to see Kakashi stuffing his book into his back pocket.

His eyes crinkled. "You all right?"

Instantly, all the self-loathing seemed to wash away. A smile creeped onto her lips. "Yeah... I'm all right." She discreetly wiped at the corner of her eye, and then jabbed him in the stomach with her fist. "You should watch where you're going more, sensei! You were reading that damned book and walking at the same time again, weren't you?"

Kakashi seized her hand gently. "And you failed to realize you were walking in my direction, obviously. Otherwise, I'm sure you would have walked around me." He released her, and she could tell he was smirking beneath that mask.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and bit her lip. "So, it seems like we keep meeting like this, huh?"

"Hm. It's true," he said, brushing off his vest.

"How's your leg?" Sakura asked quietly, kicking at the dirt beneath her feet.

"Eh, it's essentially better. That ointment Shizune gave me really worked wonders." He looked up, and saw the wetness of her eyelashes catching in the light. He frowned. "Are you all right, Sakura?"

Sakura glanced up at him quickly and self-consciously rubbed at her eyes some more. "Yeah, I'm fine, of course I'm fine."

Kakashi gently took her by the arm and tugged her beside him, beginning to walk. "Here, walk with me for a bit."

"Okay...?" Sakura found herself forced to follow him, and she nearly winced at the tightness of his grip on her arm. He led her through the streets which were now gradually becoming barren, and over to the village gates without saying a word. It was at this point that Sakura began to doubt her sanity, and began to struggle in his grasp.

"Sensei, where are you taking me!?" She demanded, trying to wriggle free. Kakashi merely glanced down at her, eyes creased pleasantly.

"Oh, no place too special," he responded simply, waving to the Chuunin who were guarding the gate. They saluted back, and Kakashi pulled her outside of the gates and into the grassy fields that lay just outside its reach.

"Sensei... you're not planning to rape me, are you?" Sakura asked, eyebrow raised. However, the idea of being raped by the older Jounin didn't sit too badly with her. She had to get her mind off of that stupid proposal!

"Heavens no, Sakura," Kakashi replied with a chuckle. "I'm just taking you to a little special place I like to go to whenever I need a little space to think."

A bright gleam caught her eye from the side, and she turned to see the familiar lake that lay not too far beyond the gates, and she smiled in recognition at her whereabouts. The lake's surface glittered with a crystal-like quality.

"Here?" she asked. "I would think that this is too scenic for you."

Kakashi shook his head, releasing her arm and striding over to the edge of the lake, and sitting down on a dry patch of sand. The fresh moonlight began to shyly poke its face out from behind the large puffy clouds, and the scene was essentially breath-taking. Sakura fumbled around and took a seat near Kakashi, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she gazed out at the moon's meek reflection on the water.

"It's so pretty..." she murmured absently, smiling as a gentle cool breeze swept over the pair and sent goosebumps tingling up her spine.

"It is," Kakashi agreed simply, and then glanced over at his companion. "So will you tell me what's wrong now?"

Sakura's head jerked in his direction, and she frowned. "'What's wrong'? What makes you think anything's wrong?" she asked hurriedly with a huff.

"I've known you since you were still a kid," Kakashi said. "Knowing you for so long gives me an advantage when it comes to read your feelings, although not much of one since you're basically an open book."

Sakura sniffed at the comment, and looked back out at the lake.

"Will you please tell me?" he asked. "Just spill your guts. I'll listen."

"You'll listen, but you won't understand," Sakura answered quietly.

"Oh, really? Well I suppose you won't find out until you try telling me it." Kakashi leaned back, and yawned. "So you might as well just tell me."

Sakura chewed her lip, trying to string the right words together, and sighed. "Okay, okay... It's just that I seem to have no talent whatsoever when it comes to approaching boys," she began. "And I feel so horribly awkward and unattractive when I try to talk to them, and all the good men out there are either taken or gay or creepy... And it makes me upset." The familiar bittersweet prick of tears at the corner of her eyes made her heart clench. She was so _weak_.

"That's not true," Kakashi responded, leaning forward and sitting cross-legged. "There are plenty of single, young men out there, and I'm sure that a large percentage of them would be interested in you. You have all the time in the world, so why fuss about it now? You're still so young, Sakura."

"I do NOT have all the time in the world!" Sakura cried, a little too loudly. She shrank back, clasping her hand over her mouth in embarrassment. Oh no... How was she going to get herself out of this one?

Curious mis-matched eyes flicked over in her direction. "Really? Why's that?"

Sakura's hand flew to her hair, and she nervously began tugging on the soft pink locks, struggling to come up with a justifiable excuse that wouldn't blow her cover. "W-Well, you know... I, uh....When a girl reaches a certain age, you know... She really starts to, um, get this urge to... You know...Sort of like a biological clock, you know?"

Kakashi broke out into laughter. Sakura's jaw dropped in shock; there were only a few incidents that she could truly remember Kakashi laughing during. Usually he disguised his amusement with obvious expressions, but to verbally let it out was somewhat rare.

"W-What's so funny?" Sakura growled.

Kakashi's laughter began to die down, but she knew a grin was on his face from the way his eyes were crinkled. "N-Nothing, just that you're way too young to have a biological clock crisis. You're what, 20?"

"19," Sakura corrected darkly.

"Exactly my point. Now what else is the problem?"

Sakura frowned. "Well... I don't know. I highly doubt that what you said about all those guys who would like me is true. It'd be true if I were Ino or at least looked like her, but seeing as I don't it just doesn't count for me. And well... I just don't want to have to end up like Tsunade did!" Sakura cried. "She loved that one guy that she was engaged to or something, and then he died and she never moved on and went to somebody else. I'll just be some tragic, broken woman with no one to love me and an incurable drinking problem!... Except that I won't have a fiance beforehand!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Sakura, you sound ridiculous. First off, Tsunade just isn't the same type of person as you. You're obviously more interested in men than she ever was. She was always more interested in her work, and she gave up on love after Dan died because it obviously just wasn't her thing. She loved medical jutsu and drinking and gambling way more than chasing after men. And would you say that Tsunade-sama is tragic or broken?"

Sakura sighed. "I guess not... Only when she gets so drunk that when she stands up she winds up on the floor face-down."

"Exactly," Kakashi said. "And for attractiveness.... well, you're a perfectly attractive girl for someone your age. And you're brainy, which many guys like and respect." He shrugged. "Hell, if I were 13 years younger, who knows."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up at him in shock. "R-Really?"

He shrugged again. "You never know," he said easily.

She looked down at her lap, unable to stop smiling at her newly obtained knowledge.

"But I can tell that there's something more than all of this that's _really_ bugging you. So quit using other things as an excuse and just tell me," Kakashi urged.

Sakura bit her lip and shook her head violently. "No, I can't. It's nothing big."

Kakashi heaved a sigh and stood up, "Well, if you ever decide that you are willing to talk, I promise I'll always be there for you, no matter what you need." He brushed off his pant legs, and began to slowly walk away.

Sakura balled up her fists and punched the sand beside her, leaving a small hollow hole from the impact. She bit her lip in thought so hard that she was surprised that it didn't split and bleed, and she nervously wrung her hands in her lap. "S-Sensei..." she called out shyly, when he was at least a hundred feet away.

Kakashi spun on his heels, and looked at her, waiting.

"There is something else... And I'll tell you it... But you have to swear to try and understand..." Sakura said, her voice shaking. Her eyes were brimming with unshed tears that began to spill over and flood her cheeks.

Kakashi made his way back over, and sat down beside her again, warily eyeing the hole in the sand that was rapidly refilling. "Yes?" he said.

Sakura grabbed at the hem of her smock, scrunching it up in her fists as she thought over the multiple ways to say what she needed to.

"Sensei..." she began slowly. "I'm a virgin."

Kakashi's eyebrows shot up, and he gaped at her for a few seconds before clearing his throat awkwardly. "A-And? There's nothing wrong with that, Sakura... Many girls are.."

"You don't understand," she said. "I need to lose it, as soon as I can... and I can't tell you why, but I just have to." The smock in her grip began to grow moist with sweat from her palms.

Kakashi could only stare at her, entirely in shock. Was this a joke? Was his student really lamenting her virginity in front of him? Did he read too much Icha Icha while under the influence again? He rubbed at his eyes, and looked at her again, becoming more confident that this wasn't just a perverted dream.

Tears streamed down her cheeks and she took in a short breath, looking up at him. "I just feel so useless... All I need is just one guy for one night who's willing to sleep with me with no strings attached. And I know that shouldn't be hard to find but I just have such horrible luck with finding men and I have such little confidence and all the boys I _could_ sleep with are weird and I've known for too long but all the others are taken or_ GAY_." She took a deep breath, which collapsed into a sob. "Just _one_ night..."

"Just one night?" Kakashi repeated, eyebrow raised. "I don't understand why on earth you would need to get rid of your virginity so fast that you'd be willing to risk many things for just a measly one night stand. Honestly, Sakura, just wait until you get married or find the right man, or something."

"Like I said, I don't have the time to wait for that, and I can't just explain the whole thing to you. Just please try and bear with me," Sakura pleaded weakly, her voice wavering. She wiped at her eyes feverishly, feeling snot begin to leak from her nose as a result of all the crying she'd done.

"All right, I'll try and bear with you," Kakashi said, though his tone gave away his skepticism. He stretched and leaned back, resting his elbows in the sand. "In that case, what are your options?"

"Bribery," Sakura said quickly. "I would just need blackmail on someone first... Or I could just pay a guy to do it with me. What if I found a prostitute? Do we have any male prostitutes in Konoha?"

Kakashi clenched his jaw in an attempt to keep from slapping his forehead. "None that would want to do it with a girl, Sakura. Besides, that's too risky - too many potential diseases and other rammifications. What if you were to get pregnant as a result of just doing it with any old guy?"

Sakura shook her head. "That wouldn't be of any concern to me. As a medicnin I have access to all sorts of birth control jutsus that would nullify the possibility of pregnancy."

Kakashi puffed his droopy bangs out of his eyes, and lifted one shoulder in a makeshift shrug. "Well then, you don't have that to worry about _that_ at least. What if you cling to the man you do it with?"

Sakura shook her head once more, this time violently. "Oh no, no, no, no... There's no way in hell that that would happen, I'm sure of it. I just don't see that happening at all, I wouldn't let it."

Something inside Kakashi made him seriously doubt her words, but he didn't voice the opinion. He was drawing blanks as far as the interrogation went, so he gave in. "Then I guess if you're so confident that it would work, you'll just have to find a guy."

"That's the point, Kakashi," Sakura strained, looking at him. "I can't find a guy."

"What about Naruto-kun?" Kakashi asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You two were always so close, and cute, too. I sincerely thought you two would have paired off by now and and done the deed already."

"Ew, that's disgusting!" Sakura scrunched up her nose. "Absolutely not! He's like a brother. Kakashi-sensei, do _you_ support incest?"

Kakashi's eye twitched. He was really getting nowhere with this, wasn't he? "Of course not, Sakura. It was just a thought."

"Well, good." Sakura 'hmph'ed and folded her arms across her chest. She was surprised at how easy it was to discuss all of this with Kakashi of all people. The man who watched her go through every single painfully awkward stage since adolescence - the obsession with Sasuke, the heartbreak of losing him, the sudden overnight appearance of her breasts (that one was a classic) and so many more. She brushed her bangs behind her ear, and sighed.

"I'm sorry to say it, Sakura, but I'm all fresh out of ideas," Kakashi admitted, sitting back up and brushing off the back of his vest to make sure no sandy residue remained.

"I know," she murmured softly. "And I am, too..." Her lip quivered and she clutched her knees a little tighter to her chest, pressing her face down onto them as her body shook with a quiet sob.

Kakashi watched her, his expression softening. He then cleared his throat. "Well there has to be someone," he tried to assure her.

Sakura shook her head and said pitifully, "Nope... There's no one."

"Well..." Kakashi cleared his throat again, his eyes clouding over. "Would I suffice?"

It fell dead-silent. The only noise that bothered to make itself heard was the chirping of crickets around them. Sakura's body was frozen still with that question, her eyes refused to blink.

After she ran the question over and over again in her head for the 20th time, she finally broke out laughing. Tears, this time derived from the humor she saw, sprung to her eyes as she chortled away, rocking back and forth while still latched onto her knees. Kakashi merely stared at her, appearing a bit annoyed.

"Tha-That's hilarious, sensei," Sakura gasped. "I mean, really, I never thought you would have it in you to joke about something this---"

"I'm serious." The two words hit her like a five bricks dropped from above. The rest of her sentence died in her mouth, and goosebumps dispersed over her skin. After a couple seconds, she finally brought herself to look over at Kakashi, to gauge the meaning behind his words by the look of his face. His eyes were hard, glinting in the moonlight with an undeniable seriousness behind them. Her mouth went dry, and she tentatively swallowed in discomfort.

"W-What?" she rasped.

"I said," Kakashi began, tilting his body so that it faced her better. "That I'm serious." He finished the sentence with his eyes locked dead-on to hers, and they were so unreadable and impenetrable that Sakura was sure that she had to have gotten caught up in a crazy dream. Too much ramen - that was it.

"But you... I..." She laughed nervously. "Would you really..."

He stared at her.

"A-And when exactly would we do this?" she inquired, still sure that it was either a very well acted joke or just simply a dream. Another wispy laugh fell from her lips in disbelief..

"How about tonight?"

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END OF CHAPTER! Did you like it? :D Let me know in a reee-vyewwwwwwww! aka a Review! XD also i'm not too pleased with how the ending of this chapter turned out. T_T i imagined it more smoothly and stuff.


	4. One Act

**A/N: Oh, dear God. This chapter took me forever to write, I kept going back and forth and writing different parts of it and such, and I find myself kind of ashamed of it. This is my very first lemon that I've posted to this site... So please don't report me or whatever. :/ I have nearly 6 years of history backed up onto this site, xD.**

**Also, I know that things seem out of character or perhaps rushed or drawn out too much during different parts. Please don't nitpick, this was the hardest chapter I've written thus far. And don't think that the interesting parts in this fic are over, everything's just beginning!**

**Please let me know what you thought. You can criticize, just be gentle, all right? -winks-**

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**Okay, this part is -really- important. So important that I'm trying to update this chapter so you guys can see it. I need help with planning this story, and I need ideas. So if you have any ideas or want to help me work through this or perhaps beta this for me, please message me. Please? :D   
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**--  
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**_Rhymes of an Hour_  
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**Chapter 4 :**

_One Act_

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"T-Tonight?" Sakura sputtered, her heart pounding. "You mean, _th-that_ soon?"

Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. "Might as well," he replied.

"But..." Sakura chewed the inside of her cheek. Where she should have felt relief at having found someone willing, there was a nagging clenching in her diaphragm that was eating away at her insides just at the thought. Kakashi? Her sensei? Too many things were wrong with this situation. She gazed up shyly at him.

"What's wrong?" Kakashi asked, his eyes narrowing in a slight smirk. "One moment you're 100 percent sure and the next you're completely lost?"

Sakura looked down at her lap in embarrassment. Oh no.. She hadn't expected this. Was this what she thought it was?... She feared the chunk of cheek between her teeth would sever from her mouth entirely, and she dug her nails into her arm.

"I-I don't know if I'm quite ready yet..." She mumbled._ Stupid girl! Stupid, stupid, stupid! _Inner Sakura raved. _You found the guy, now you're suddenly backing out? What the hell is wrong with you? No wonder you're still a virgin!_

Kakashi silently watched her, and shrugged. "Well then, if you're that unsure about it... Then perhaps you're just better off waiting," he said finally. "I knew it couldn't be anything _that_ urgent."

"You don't understand," Sakura hissed between her teeth, squeezing her upper arms tightly. "It's urgent to _me_."

"Then why the hesitation? You're obviously not ready for this."

"That's not true..." she murmured, shaking her head slowly. "I have to be. This is what I wanted - what I _needed_."

"Obviously not so much," Kakashi muttered, and motioned to stand up, flicking clumps of saturated sand off of his pants. "Well, Sakura, I offered. The rest is up to you. I can understand if it would seem too awkward for you and I, but you seemed to need this so much that I figured it would transcend all of that awkwardness."

"Why would you even offer it?" Sakura growled. "Why? Do you think it's just a joke?"

He shook his head firmly. "No, I don't. And I don't know why I'd offer it. Maybe I just hate seeing you look so sad."

Sakura fell silent, and rested her head in her hands. "_Tonight?_"

He shrugged. "You're the one who said it was urgent, and an A.S.A.P.-type of situation."

"That's true..." she sighed, and stood up as well, feverishly brushing off all sandy particles from her body. "Where... Where would we... If we were to..."

"Why not your apartment?" Kakashi questioned, resting his hand on his hip.

"M-My apartment?!" Sakura shrieked. She had an image of the two, walking hand in hand into her cramped apartment and entangled in each other's arms while exchanging heated kisses... until one of them would trip over the massive clutter that decorated her living space, causing both to come crashing down to the floor with a loud and painful 'BOOM!' and the possibility of any ensuing sex would be eradicated. She flinched. "Absolutely not," she said sharply. "I would need to spend 3 days cleaning the place just to make sure you wouldn't trip over anything."

"All right, fine," Kakashi exhaled heavily. "I guess we'll just have no other choice but my place."

Sakura nodded. "That'd be best, yes..." In truth, Sakura's heart leaped slightly at the suggestion, and she wasn't quite sure why. She figured she'd owe it to the fact that it seemed more intimate that way - doing it her first time in the elusive Hatake Kakashi's apartment, which she hadn't seen for nearly 4 years.

"Well. Have you decided yet? Shall we?" Kakashi cocked an expectant eyebrow at her.

"Yes," she said quietly, her throat dry from anticipation. "We might as well, yes."

"Good." Kakashi gestured for her to follow him. "Let's go, then."

She followed behind him in his footsteps, feeling much like an infantile lost puppy hopelessly following her owner, and her heart was beating so fast that she could barely feel it. What was she doing? This man was her teacher, her mentor... her superior... And she was going to gamble everything just to sleep with him and obtain her goal of being virginity-free? She swallowed hard, feeling dizzy as his apartment came into view. However, somehow she felt better knowing that it would be with Kakashi, and not anyone else. She couldn't quite place the reason - but Kakashi felt _safe_. She knew he would never hurt her intentionally; he always put his students first and she knew she could be no exception. But did_ he_ want this? The way he was so casually going about this made her wonder, and it made her worry slightly. Had he possibly felt guilt-tripped into it? Oh God...she _had_ laid it on a little too thick, hadn't she? Her chest ached.

They stepped up to the welcome mat placed just at the doorstep, and Sakura watched with mixed emotions as Kakashi easily unlocked the door and pushed it open, motioning for her to enter first. Something about it reminded her of the night he had done the same service to her when she had been too drunk to see straight, and the thought made her chew her lip anxiously. Things would be 10x easier if she had a high blood alcohol level content. _So_ much easier.

She mentally slapped herself. There she had been, parading herself about and desperate to find a guy to barrel his way into her vagina, and now that she had a willing participant she was getting all nervous and hesitant and DESPICABLE! She fought the urge to bash her forehead in with her fist, and she sent Kakashi a small smile as she entered the apartment.

It was dark, no surprise there. The front door clicked shut behind her and Kakashi cleared his throat.

"I'm going to go fix myself a drink. Would you like one?" he offered, unzipping his Jounin vest and hanging it up on the coat rack by the door.

Sakura's heart fluttered in relief. "Yes, please," she practically tripped over the words trying to get them out as quickly as possible.

He shot her a wary look and then tossed his bangs back in one swift motion, heading into the kitchen/dining area in the back of his apartment. He pulled open the refrigerator door and withdrew two large brown bottles, and set them down on the island counter in the center of the room. Sakura wandered over, and pouted with envy at the counter.

"My apartment didn't come with one of those..." She lamented in a grumble.

Kakashi chuckled and opened a nearby cupboard, grabbed two short glasses, and set them on the counter beside the bottles. Immediately he set to work mixing the two alcoholic beverages together in both glasses, then screwed the caps back onto the bottles and gestured for her to grab her glass. Sakura was there in a flash, seizing the glass that looked like it had more, and gulped it down in one shot. Once the burning liquid had settled in her stomach, feeling as though it had set it ablaze, she slammed her glass down and gasped out a request for another drink.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, casually sipping at his own drink, and begrudgingly set to work fixing another one for her. Sakura watched the mixing process anxiously, and snatched the glass up as soon as she could, and downed it quickly once more. She coughed and set the glass down, clutching her throat.

"What is this stuff?" she rasped.

Kakashi smiled. "Only the best drink combo I've ever tasted." He drained his glass slowly, and watched as the buzz obviously began to take over her actions. She leaned against the counter and smiled up at him.

"Thanks," she said sincerely, and drummed her fingernails on the counter, looking around at her surroundings anxiously.

"Would you like another one?" He picked up her glass and held it up to provoke an answer.

"Sure, why not?" She replied with a smile that was only growing loopier by the moment.

While mixing her third drink, Kakashi glanced up at her, a crease between his brows. "Sakura..." He finished, and handed her the drink hesitantly. "I hate to bring this up again, but why on earth would you ever need to lose your virginity so quickly?"

Sakura pursed her lips. "Told you I can't tell. Let's just say it's for... personal reasons." She winked at him.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "I mean, shouldn't you save it for your future husband or something? You know, a white wedding sort of thing?"

Her eyes widened and she burst into a fit of cackles, the alcohol loosening her up quickly. She slammed her fist down on the counter, causing the fluid in her glass to slosh back and forth in violent waves. Kakashi shot a worried look at the glass, then flicked his eyes up to the tipsy girl before him.

"Really, sensei," she drawled as she calmed down. "Me? I'll never marry anyone."

His eyes remained fixed on her for a few moments before he bothered to respond. "Well, then that's another thing we have in common." He smiled, his eyes crinkling with the effort. "I'll never marry anyone either."

Sakura looked up at him, a tiny lap of relief washing over her abdomen. She felt herself smiling back. "Yeah. We do have that in common..." she mused quietly, looking down at her glass. "But... why not?"

Kakashi tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "'Why not' what?"

"Why not marry? I mean, someday at least. You know?"

His eyes closed momentarily, and he shrugged. "I guess I'm just not the marrying type. I'm too independent to have a family - to have a family you have to be willing to make substantial sacrifices, and that's just something I simply cannot do. Not to mention that any 'wife' of mine would only end up getting hurt in the end. My job is too risky to ensure that I won't have my headband delivered back to my doorstep."

His words weighed on her mind in a strange, almost uncomfortable way as she gulped down her drink quickly. She wiped her lips and extended the glass to him, beckoning for more.

Kakashi eyed her warily, and shook his head briskly. "No can do, Sakura. That's enough of that for you." He snatched the glass from her fingers and set it in the sink along with his own. "You're too much of a lightweight. Any more of this and I'm afraid you'd pass out."

Sakura pouted, feeling an itch settle over her body. What else was there for them to do now? Could it be that she was just looking for an excuse - any excuse, just to stall? She bit down on her lip as if it would quell the thought.

Kakashi brushed off his vest, and looked up at her expectantly. "Well, shouldn't be ought to be heading to my room by now?"

Bile trickled its way up her throat like a tiny geyser, and Sakura swallowed to keep it from reaching her mouth. She tugged at the hem of her shirt shyly, and avoided eye contact. "Y-Yeah, sure... Let's go do that."

Kakashi rounded the counter and began to meander down the short hallway just beyond the kitchen, waving for her to follow him. Sakura stole one last glance at the kitchen where they had made such pleasing efforts at small talk, and reluctantly fell into pace behind him.

He opened a door across from what looked to be a bathroom, and waited for Sakura to enter before himself. "Just make yourself comfortable," he told her.

She squinted around in the darkness, feeling around for his bed, and then promptly sat. The only real source of light in the room was the moonlight spilling in from a window whose curtains hadn't been drawn together completely. It was enough for her to see the light and dark contours of his face as he sauntered over, and took a seat beside her. Her heart was pounding loud enough that she felt embarrassed, thinking it impossible for him to not hear.

Kakashi turned his head and looked down at her, an expression of unmeasurable seriousness hardening his features. "I have a few requirements, before we begin," he relayed coolly. "If you cannot accept those requirements, then I'll have to ask you to leave."

Sakura gulped. "Of course, anything."

"You can't cling to me after this," he said shortly. "You can't expect anything else to come out of this. This is merely me helping my old student, and I know that many virgin girls tend to cling once they're..." He cleared his throat tentatively. "...deflowered. Also, this cannot affect our personal relationship, and lastly, the final requirement is that nobody...." His eyes hardened. "Nobody, not even Naruto, can know."

Right away, Sakura nodded firmly. "Of course. I wouldn't dream of clinging after this - besides, I can't see myself clinging anyway. I'm just not that type of girl."

He watched as she let the words fall quickly from her lips, and gave the slightest of shrugs. "Well, if you accept all of that then I can't see why we shouldn't begin now."

"Right now," Sakura said quietly, as if informing herself.

Her eyes flicked over to the window, with the moonlight spreading over the carpet beneath it, and began to try and will her heartbeat to slow down. In the process, she didn't notice Kakashi removing his shirt, until she heard the slight 'woosh!' of him throwing it aside. Her head snapped over to look at him, and she bit her lip to keep from reacting visibly.

He was flawless. All of those years of relentless training and hard work had made his lean arms and upper body into a perfectly chiseled sight to behold. She felt her mouth water, and subconsciously her fists began to clench. He was so attractive... Her eyes caught sight of the winding ANBU tattoo on his upper left arm, and felt a strange warmth spread all throughout her stomach. So this was the man she had once innocently called 'sensei'. She nearly laughed at the thought.

Kakashi cleared his throat, signaling the end of her staring contest with his body. She looked up and gave a weak smile, and gestured limply to the zipper hanging at the collar of her smock.

"Should I....?" Despite the wetness that had formed in her mouth just moments before, when she attempted to speak her throat felt dry and parched.

He shrugged again. "It's up to you. Whatever you're most comfortable with."

She gave a nod and slowly unzipped the smock, shrugging out of it as she went. She gently set it on the floor at her feet, and began to unzip the shirt she had been wearing beneath. She dragged down the zipper, and was halfway there when she felt the weight of his gaze upon her. She hastily looked up, and saw him watching each move she made intently, his eyes swirling in lust. Her heart fluttered, and she quickly unzipped the rest, letting her shirt join the growing pile at her feet.

At this point, she began to feel slightly exposed. Goosebumps expelled over her skin, and she shivered lightly.

Kakashi laughed huskily, eyeing the apron tied around her waist. "Need any help?"

Sakura chewed her lip, and nodded. "Yeah," she murmured. Immediately, his hands sprung out and seized the hem of her apron, working at the buttons one by one until the apron hung limp around her. He tugged it down roughly, and when his fingers grazed the buttons of her shorts, she felt a dizzying sensation of heat spilling into her groin.

This was wrong. She knew it was wrong. Morally, at least. However, being undressed by this man, the man who had helped her hone her skills as a fledgling kunoichi and had been one of the few responsible adults in her life.... Somehow, it didn't feel as uncomfortable as it should have. It felt strangely the opposite.

Before she knew it, her shorts were hanging around her knees, and she shyly stood up, and let them fall to her ankles, shaking them free. She looked up, and caught his eyes in hers. There she stood, in just her bra and panties. Kakashi hissed softly, and took her hand in his, guiding her to sit down again beside him.

"You're absolutely beautiful," he remarked, voice heavy.

Her face felt hot and flushed, and she smiled a small smile back at him. "A-Are you going to...take off your..." she pointed to his mask. Kakashi tentatively touched his cheek, and smiled.

"I only entrust my face to very certain people," he replied. Sakura felt something inside her shift.

"Oh..." She looked away, and gave a nod of understanding. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement, and glanced back at him. Her eyes widened when she saw him unfastening his mask, and placing it gingerly on his nightstand.

All the breath inside her flew out in one swift motion. He was gorgeous. The way the moonlight kissed the smooth curves of his cheekbones and jaws, and his straight nose... Her head was absolutely reeling. Her eyes traveled down his face slowly, taking in each new sight. His lips were perfectly proportioned, his mouth not too wide and yet not too narrow, and they curved into his chin, and a square, masculine jaw.

"O-Oh...." she whispered, reaching out hesitantly to touch him. Her fingertips fell on the skin of his sculpted cheek, still warm from the contains of his mask, and her lips curved upwards into a genuine smile.

"You're so handsome..." she mumbled.

He smiled at her, causing her heart to pound even faster than she knew it could, to the point that she could barely feel it moving within her chest. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded eagerly. "Yes, I'm fine..." She forced herself to tear her eyes away from him, and instead they focused on his pants instead, one of the only garments remaining between the two. He followed her gaze, and smiled lecherously, tugging the pants down and kicking them off. She inhaled sharply, and did her best not to stare.

Seeing him in just his boxers was enough to give her a small heart attack, but seeing him maskless as well seemed enough to ensure death from happiness. She eyed the defined bulge in his boxers nervously, biting the inside of her cheek.

Kakashi reached out and wrapped his lean, toned arms around her, and brought her forward until they were both laying down. Her head nestled into his chest, and she could hear that beneath the surface, he wasn't all that calm either.

"I wonder if this is too awkward for you," he mused softly.

"I-It kind of is," she responded, partially muffled by his chest. "But it's not too bad... and I wouldn't rather do it with any other man."

He looked down at her and smiled, lifting her chin with his thumb and forefinger, and pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes sealed shut and she felt as though she were melting into his body, and the only thing keeping them from sinking entirely together was the kiss that connected them. Her lips trembled against his, and she pulled back slowly, savoringly, and cast a shy glance up at him.

He returned the look, eyes filled with a thick lust. "Sakura..." he muttered huskily. "I don't think I can wait much longer."

The words sent a rush of heat to her groin, and her breath hitched. This was amazing. Having someone, especially Konoha's most handsome shinobi, holding her and wanting her and ....wanting to do IT with her.... Her cheeks felt feverish. It was just the most amazing feeling.

She nodded. "All right. Should we... get started?"

He gingerly moved her beside him, and he leaned over her, hand poised over her bra. "I suppose we should. If you're ready?" He glanced up at her and raised an eyebrow.

Inner Sakura was, at this point, dancing around ecstatically within Sakura's head, cackling and pumping her fist. The real Sakura on the other hand, took a shallow, shaky breath, and nodded.

"Yes," she said simply.

That was practically all she had time to say before Kakashi began tugging down the straps to her bra and reaching around her to fiddle with the clasps. He was surprisingly adept, and within a couple moments her bra lay discarded on the floor, and her breasts reacted instantaneously to the contrast of his warm breath over them and the cooler air that surrounded them. She shivered.

"Sen--" She was cut off by the sight of his head diving down over her breast, and the warm pleasure that followed. She gasped, and clawed her way to his hair, running her fingers through it and clinging to him as his tongue bathed over her nipple, sending her head reeling with pleasure.

It was strange. She never knew this was supposed to feel so good, even after all of her anatomical studies. She threw her head back and felt a small sound escape her lips, blushing at how erotic it sounded. But to Kakashi, it only seemed to encourage him, and he reached up with his hand and began to fondle her other breast.

She felt simultaneously humiliated and careless. It felt so raunchy and inappropriate, that all of his acts made her face burn red hot. She hardly noticed that she had begun panting, and that wetness was starting to accumulate between her legs.

Kakashi gently bit down on her nipple, sending her flailing and letting out a sharp cry.

"Sensei!" she gasped. "It-it..."

"Don't call me that," he growled. "Tonight, and every other time you see me from now on, I'll be Kakashi." He released her from his mouth, a smirk tugging the corners of his lips. "Just Kakashi. Wouldn't you say we've crossed the line of 'student' and 'sensei' tonight, Sakura?"

She nodded weakly. Anything, anything to get him to go back to his previous actions. She squirmed beneath him, eager for release. He cocked an eyebrow at her.

"My, don't you look eager?"

Sakura glanced sideways, trying to avoid the heaviness of his gaze. She gave no response.

"Then I suppose we get down to business then, shall we? After all, you claimed this was strictly an 'as soon as possible' situation." His sharingan flickered, and from the corner of her eyes she could see him run his tongue over his lips once. Oh, Kami-sama... his voice alone, and all of the sultriness within it could get her so wet, but the way she could tell he was looking at her... She bit her lip, trying to avoid making another embarrassing sound.

She reached down and slowly began to push her panties down her slender thighs, and flicked her eyes up to watch his response. It looked as though it was excruciatingly painful for him, watching her leisurely remove her panties. He shifted his position over her, and let out a low hiss.

Just as her panties were cresting over the tops of her knees, he snapped his hand over hers and gave a sharp yank, ripping them down to her ankles. Sakura's eyes widened, and all of a sudden his lips were on hers with a bruising intensity, and his tongue was flitting out and trying to prod its way into her mouth.

She had always dreamed of being kissed like this.... She threw her arms around his neck and tugged him down so that he was now practically laying over her, letting out a soft moan.

Kakashi reached up hesitantly, and stroked the side of her cheek, barely grazing the soft skin. Sakura parted her lips and shyly let her tongue begin a gentle wrestle with his and oh, KAMI.... she could feel the sticky wetness between her legs grow more and more and it was driving her insane. With a swift motion she seized his hand and began guiding it south. She longed to be touched there, it felt like she needed to be touched there... She had never, ever in all of her days and hours and minutes and seconds EVER been this aroused before, and it was like her body was finally awakening for the very first time... Like this, this right there with him laying over her and his fingers just touching the naked flesh beneath her belly button.... this was what living truly was.

It came quick and painful when she felt something enter her, and it was enough of a shock to jolt her out of her aroused musings. Immediately, panic set in.

Had he gone in her already? No...no, he was still laying on her, but... She looked up at him in horror, and he smiled easily.

"Haven't you ever been fingered before?" he murmured in amusement.

She shook her head mutely, trying to let her body to adjust to him inside of her. For a couple moments, they stared at each other in silence, waiting for whatever cue was supposed to ignite what would come next.

Kakashi slowly began to withdraw his finger, and Sakura yelped, clawing at his upper arm. "No!" she cried, loud enough to shock both of them.

"K-Keep going," she whispered, and looked up at him unsurely. His lips spread in a grin, and he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He obliged, letting his finger sink back within her, and he began to slowly pump it in and out of her, watching her face to gauge her reaction.

Sakura inhaled sharply and the initial discomfort she had felt earlier had now almost completely subsided. She bucked her hips slightly, trying to meet each of his small thrusts. Kakashi watched her actions with mild amusement.

"Do you think you're ready, then?" he asked, voice husky and breathless.

She bit back a moan, looking up at him and giving him a small nod. "I think so," she replied quietly.

He quickly pulled his finger out, and examined it with a raised eyebrow. A string of something thick and clear was dangling from his finger, and Sakura felt her heart clench in embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'd definitely say you're ready," Kakashi said with a chuckle, wiping his hand off with the edge of his quilt. He then turned his attention to her, giving a sly smile.

Sakura sat up slightly, gulping. "So now we're..."

Kakashi reached and began to pull down his boxers, and it was then that Sakura's heart stopped for a full few seconds in realization. This was it... Everything that had just happened was one thing, but actually seeing the man she had called sensei entirely naked... Something about that made the whole situation entirely different, and more taboo to her. Yet at the same time, it was undeniably enticing. Her eyes greedily followed his movements as he rid himself of his underwear, his forearm obscuring her view.

She became aware that she was now holding her breath, and Kakashi turned to meet her gaze, and chuckled at the sight of seeing her so intently watching him.

"Are you ready to see?" he asked teasingly.

"I think I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be," she breathed.

He made a soft 'hn' in response, and lifted his arm, providing a full view of his... Sakura gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"OHMYGOD!" she squeaked, and leaned in a little closer, reaching out and tentatively extending her fingers in an attempt to touch the sight before her eyes.

Kakashi blinked a few times. "You're a medic-nin, Sakura... Haven't you seen plenty of these?"

"Well, y-yes.. But, they weren't...." She looked up at him and gave a weak smile. "You know... But, uhm..." Her voice suddenly grew very small. "Is it...going to fit inside me?

He gave a small snort and ran his fingers through her hair. "Yes, yes it will. It will just probably be a bit painful at first. Anyway, are you just going to stare at it?"

She dragged her index finger up his length, feeling him shiver beneath her. A low groan escaped his lips, and she gulped, withdrawing her hand. "Sen-- I mean, Kakashi..."

He looked over at her, eyes hooded. "Sakura... I don't think I can wait much longer," he whispered huskily.

Sakura nodded slightly, and laid down beside him. "W-What do I do first?"

He chuckled. "You don't really have to do anything, except try to relax. I do all the work." He lifted himself and climbed over her, pinning her down gently.

She swallowed nervously, gazing up at him. "Okay... So this is, this is it. Right?"

"I guess so," he murmured, the tip of his length grazing her inner thigh, warm and twitching. She shivered, feeling wetness start to pool lightly between her legs.

"How do we....?" she began, eyes akin to a doe caught in the headlights.

"Well..." He leaned down and nipped at her neck, causing her to squeak. "You let me know when, and I put it in. Simple as that."

But it didn't sound that simple.

Sakura nodded. "Okay. I-I'm ready."

"You're sure?" Kakashi propped himself on his elbows, eyeing her.

"Definitely," she replied in a small voice, nodding fervently.

"You won't regret this?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"No..."

"You won't cling to me after this?"

"Of course not. That'd be weird," she said with a giggle. "I'm pretty sure that we'll still be the same comrades."

"But having sex changes everything, Sakura," Kakashi warned her in a low voice.

"I know that," she snapped back. "But it's different for us. I just know it. I can _feel_ it."

He rolled his eyes and raised one shoulder in a tiny shrug. "All right. If you say so." He shifted his weight over her.

"Spread your legs," he instructed.

Sakura did as she was told. "Okay...?"

"This is going to hurt. I don't know how much, but it may be a lot. So try and relax, okay?"

She took a deep breath, held it, and released it. "Okay. Relaxed."

He sat up, kneeling, and took her thighs in each of his hands, and gently pulled her towards him. "Here we go..." he muttered, taking his length in hand and aiming for her entrance.

As much as it would have entranced Sakura to watch, she couldn't bring herself to. She snapped her eyes shut and clenched her fists at her sides, waiting for the moment.

And then it came. A rush of white hot pain that felt like her entire lower half was ripping, and she parted her lips, letting out a weak cry. Her heart was pounding, and tears sprung to the corners of her eyes.

"Relax, Sakura," she heard him say softly.

She squirmed and gave a whine. "I-It hurts...." she whispered hoarsely.

Kakashi lowered himself over her, and wrapped his arms around her. "I know," he said calmly. "But this is what you wanted, isn't it?"

She shrugged, her lip trembling. Exactly what part of this was supposed to be enjoyable? It felt as though whatever it was of his that was inside her simply didn't fit, and like her pelvis was going to explode. There was so much painful pressure... she was wondering if he had torn more than just her hymen.

"Should I... Finish myself off in the bathroom, or something?" Kakashi asked, beginning to lift himself off of her.

Sakura shook her head violently. "No, no... Please... Keep going."

"If it hurts this much for you, though..."

"I'm sure it'll stop hurting soon, right?" She smiled up at him weakly, and he could see her wet eyelashes catching the light.

"Sakura..."

"Please," She insisted, pressing her hips to him and wincing.

"...Fine." He lifted her up slightly, cradling her in his arms while he slowly pulled himself out of her, and then sank back into her. It lasted like this for a few minutes, and she saw him trembling while he struggled to keep it at a slow pace, chewing his lip to keep from all but pounding into her. Somehow, the image brought back a sense of arousal to her, and she noticed that with each slow movement, the pain between her legs dulled more and more, until her arousal completely overtook it.

"Kakashi..." She whispered meekly. "It feels better now..."

The look of relief that washed over his face was enough to make her grin.

"You can... you can go a bit faster now..."

She didn't need to tell him twice. He gripped her tighter, his hands migrating to her hips and he began to buck against her, letting out a few pleasured groans as he went. It still felt sensitive, but the sensitivity brought a sort of pleasure with it, and she found herself holding him tightly, pushing her hips back against his with each thrust.

It was happening fast, and it felt as though the entire world around them had frozen in time.

_In some strange way_, she pondered as she let out a particularly loud, breathless moan, _this is almost.... _romantic_._

"Sakura, I can't last any longer," Kakashi grunted.

"I-I don't think I can...e-either," Sakura responded. "Go ahead."

She shyly reached down and began to rub herself, bringing herself closer and closer with each of his thrusts. She knew he was going to release soon, and she rubbed quicker and quicker until she let out a shrill cry, and just as he tensed within her, she cried out his name.

The next thing she knew, he was collapsed on top of her, pulsating within her and encased in a layer of sweat. She could feel his heart pounding against hers, and exhaustion began to set in. Her eyes felt heavy, and she was about to fall asleep when he suddenly removed himself from on top of her and the bed, moving towards the bathroom across the hall.

Reality set in. She had just done it... She did it.... With Kakashi. She didn't know which thought led to the tears, but they began to stream down her cheeks promptly. She didn't dare move her lower half, for fear of whatever pain she would feel now that the pleasure and arousal were now completely gone. She wrapped her arms around her torso and squeezed, sniffling.

A few moments later, Kakashi returned, a towel wrapped around his waist. So he must have gone to clean himself off. He sat awkwardly on the edge of the bed, hestitant to look at her.

"You can stay the rest of the night, if you'd like."

"Thanks," she whispered, her throat raw and scratchy.

There was an awkward period of silence, until she mustered the courage to speak up again.

"Kakashi..." Saying just his name without being followed by the usual honorific felt like she was speaking a foreign tongue. "Will this... ruin our friendship?"

He glanced over at her quickly, and then back at the wall in front of him. "No," he answered finally. "I won't let it."

Sakura smiled weakly, her cheeks feeling taut from the tears that were drying like plaster against them. "Thank you," she murmured, before she began to drift off.

Kakashi sat there, until he was sure that she was fast asleep, and then he rose, reaching into the drawer of his nearby dresser, and withdrawing a pack of cigarettes. He pulled on a bathrobe and wandered out to the front door, to stand outside. The entire village was sleeping around him, perfectly still. He lit himself a cigarette, and took a long drag, exhaling it along with a sigh.

"I'm going to hell," he muttered to himself.

--

A/N: Well, that's the end of this chapter. :/ Please review!


	5. One Transition

**A/N: Enjoy! The end's a little bland and rough, but I'm just edging past the necessary parts before I get to the good stuff. :P**

**Read and review to let me know how it was. :D Also, if anyone has anymore suggestions for the plot or little ideas they want to throw in, that'd be awesome and you will be credited for whatever you throw in.**

**THIS JUST IN: HIGHSCHOOL SUCKS.**

_**Rhymes of An Hour**_

**Chapter 5:**

**One Transition**

When Sakura awoke the next morning, it was a very slow process. After promising herself that she wasn't crazy for thinking that the bed she was laying on wasn't actually hers, she peered around, curious like a newborn. She was entangled in a mass of sheets, and she was quite distinctly naked. What was worse, the sheets had this odor, more like a fragrance, that was unmistakable. She was in Hatake Kakashi's bed, naked, rolled up in his sheets.

She tried to lift her leg, only to be greeted by a dull pain. She let her leg fall back against the bed, groaning. Now she remembered what had happened, but there was one thing missing. Where was Kakashi?

After a few achy attempts, Sakura managed to push herself up into a sitting position, clutching the sheets over her intimate areas and looking around. So this is what his bedroom looked like in broad daylight.

His curtains were heavy, and a deep navy blue, but were parted just enough to let in a healthy dose of morning sunshine. For the most part, his room looked normal, like what she had expected it to look like. Bare, cream-painted walls, a dark oak armoir, a nightstand next to the bed, and a desk covered with crumbled mission scrolls. She leaned over and picked one up with her thumb and forefinger experimentally, not too surprised to see that the date scrawled on the scroll was from over 3 years before. She gave an amused snort, and continued her visual investigation.

Ah, there it was. This didn't surprise her either; the infamous picture of Team 7 shortly after they had been assigned as a team. She looked somewhat grotesque, positioned in the center of the photo, hands under her chin and looking as though she was dying of happiness to be in the same shot next to Sasuke, who looked like he was less than amused with the prospect. Naruto was glowering at his fellow male team mate, and Kakashi stood over them all, one hand on Naruto and one on Sasuke. Sakura tilted her head, a slight frown line appearing between her brow.

It was true, their sensei had never really paid too much attention to her during their team-hood. She didn't quite blame him either, her talents and his didn't exactly align the same way. She was intelligent, quick-witted, and had excellent chakra control but was free of any really unique physical talents. He was a prodigy, a sharingan user, and focused on Naruto and Sasuke, both of whom had distinctly unique characteristics. Compared to everyone else in the village, Sakura had been nothing short of an Average Jane.

Still, it had been lonely. She remembered storming home after team practice one day, wiping furiously at her eyes and cursing her sensei and team-mates under her breath for excluding her. She had felt like she never belonged, like any other girl would have filled that spot and she belonged on an average, uneventful team. Of course, after she did her individual training with Tsunade, her low opinion of herself faded, replaced by the pride of knowing how useful she could be. She also began to see where she had fit into the puzzle of everything, her own key part that no one else could have possibly replaced.

But it still hadn't changed the fact that Kakashi didn't ever seem like he desired to spend more time with her. In fact, even now she still had a tiny sore spot, even if she understood his reasons. He couldn't have easily related to a boycrazy 12 year old girl with raging hormones. Hell, she'd probably have trouble relating to one, too, nowadays.

All this thinking didn't make up for her ponderings of Kakashi's location, until a few moments later his bedroom doorknob twitched and turned slowly, and a dripping copynin entered the room. He had a towel draped around his neck and was wearing a simple pair of black boxers, and his normally perky and gravity-defying silver hair was drooping with all the moisture from his shower. She found herself eyeing the droplets of water that clung to his chest, and she swallowed, feeling some sort of glowing warmth settle over her groin.

"Ah, you're awake," Kakashi said, grabbing the end of the towel around his neck and rubbing it into his hair. "I was wondering when you'd wake up."

"Ahh, well..." Sakura blushed and traced circles into his comforter. "I guess I was really tired."

"Hn." It was a noise of acknowledgment, but with after a response like that from him, Sakura wasn't sure what else to say. Should she stand up and get dressed?... But he was standing right there!

Kakashi wandered around his room, collecting his jonin garb from a closet near the door and setting it on the bed in front of her. Sakura hugged her knees, barely able to see the garments over the crest of them.

"So now what?" Sakura asked timidly.

"Good question," Kakashi responded. He yanked the towel off of him and discarded it on the bed, grabbing his long-sleeved navy shirt and pulling it over his head. "I was hoping that you already had an idea of what happened next."

She swallowed, her eyes hovering over the bulge protruding from his groin, covered by black cloth. "What _does_ happen next?"

"Well, if we're going to make this like any of my other trysts, it involves me possibly making you coffee and you getting dressed, drinking the coffee, and leaving. And then, of course, after you left we would never mention this situation again." He sat on the bed, putting on his pants.

Something about that struck her, right in the chest. Perhaps it was the stark coldness of it all, and how he could say all of that so casually.

"So then, we'd pretend this never happened?" Sakura spoke unsurely.

"Bingo." Kakashi slipped on his vest, patting the pockets and then reaching into the nightstand beside her and taking out a volume of that wretched Icha Icha series. He slid it into his pocket, snatched a mask from the same drawer in the nightstand, and started to go about putting it on. "By the way," he said, shooting her a glance. "I forgot to ask if you were protected last night."

Sakura's eyebrows raised and a blush etched across her cheeks. "Yeah, of course. I can just use a medical jutsu when I get home, sort of like a Plan B pill."

"Hn. That's convenient."

A few more moments passed.

"So you don't mind that I saw your face?"

"Obviously not," He replied, picking up his towel and leaving the room momentarily to throw it into a hamper. He returned, ruffling his hair.

"...So when do I get that coffee?" She asked.

"Unfortunately, I can't do the coffee today," Kakashi said, adjusting his mask and looking in the mirror. "I've got to run, I'm already dreadfully late for a meeting at the Hokage tower."

"Oh..." Sakura's heart sank. Suddenly she just felt like a big, stupid lump of a burden, sitting in his bed naked like that. "Then I guess I have to get dressed..."

"Don't worry. I'll leave the room." With that, Kakashi stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Sakura rose awkwardly, feeling all of her limbs contract as if they'd never been used before. She stopped to look at herself in his mirror. She saw a young girl, naked and trembling, hugging her chest to cover her bosom, while her lower half remained entirely bare. So this is what a deflowered young woman looked like. Something pricked at the corner of her eye, but she blinked it away and bent over to collect her garments, one by one, and then put them on.

After putting them on, she looked back into the mirror and smoothed her hair, then left the room.

It was all too confusing. Why had he slept with her?

She saw him fixing something quick in the kitchen, and paused to look at him. For a moment, she parted her lips, ready to ask him herself. But she couldn't think of the right way to word it, and she wasn't sure she wanted to hear his real response. She closed her mouth firmly, watching him.

"I'm sorry I'm in such a rush," he said, back turned towards her as he hovered over the counter.

"Nah, it's nothing really," she said quietly, rubbing her upper arm. She figured he knew that it really wasn't just nothing.

"I'll make it up to you," he said, turning around and setting a peanut butter and jelly sandwich inside a plastic bag, which he placed on the edge of the island counter.

"How?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe I'll treat you to ramen," He answered, giving her that familiar pleasant smile.

She couldn't help but smile back, but she shook her head. "That's all right. I better be going."

"Hn. Be careful," he warned absently, smoothing his plastic sandwich bag.

"Will do," she muttered, and quickly walked to the door, opened it, stepped out, closed it and went on her way.

The sun was too bright, the air was too warm, and it was obviously very late morning, if not early afternoon. She groaned. She hated waking up this late, and it seemed 10 times worse waking up this late in the bed of a man who didn't really care for you.

Sakura wandered the streets aimlessly, before it struck her that she was heading in the opposite direction of home. She corrected herself and on her way back found herself passing the Yamanaka flower shop. She paused, chewing her lip, and wondered if she shouldn't stop in to tell Ino. She froze.

She hadn't even _showered_ after wards! Didn't that mean... She glanced down at herself. ...That she still had his man gunk somewhere inside of her? Of course, she didn't really know how that worked... And didn't she have blood down there? She hadn't really been paying attention when she was getting dressed, she had sort of been in a daze.

She immediately started walking, this time more swiftly. _After_ her shower, then she'd come back and tell Ino. But she'd have to find a creative way to tell her without revealing any names.

Standing underneath the hot stream of water in the shower, Sakura raised her hand and let it hover over her lower abdomen. A faint green glow emanated from her fingertips, and she held her hand in place until she was sure that what needed to be done had been done. She let her arm fall slack against her side, and she pressed her back against the shower wall. There, at least now she wouldn't have to worry about any baby-related repercussions.

Was it stupid of her? Was she just some desperate girl? She groaned and reached out to pour some shampoo into her palm, then slowly worked it into her hair, frowning.

She had been so desperate... to sleep with the man she used to call 'sensei'? An even louder groan came from her lips, and she violently smashed her head against the wall.

She'd never felt stupider in her whole life. Or more complete. It was strange, despite feeling reckless and irresponsible, she couldn't deny the liberating feeling she got from having slept with him. At that point, it wasn't even about the prospect of the ladynin missions, it was a personal status thing. She wouldn't have to feel like a lowly, innocent virgin around guys anymore. If asked, she could say, 'Yeah, I fucked a guy.' Not that she would especially want to say that, but just having the option was... a relief.

Sakura turned the shower off and stepped out onto the bathmat, reaching for a towel and dabbing at her skin. She looked at herself in the mirror, doe-eyed and dewy and chewed her lip.

"You did WHAT last night!" was Ino's initial reaction.

The tips of Sakura's ears burned as she tried to shush her vocal friend, glancing around shyly at the new found attention she was receiving. So maybe it _had_ been a bad idea to bring Ino to the Dango stand to tell her her news.

Sakura face-palmed, and poked at the squishy snack-on-a-stick while Ino tried to (and failed to) discreetly stuff her face.

"Ino, could you please try and keep it down?" Sakura pleaded, gritting her teeth.

Ino swallowed the large mass in her mouth and chased it down with a splash of green tea, and sighed. She looked as though she were calmly considering Sakura's request, until after a few moments she shouted again, "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID IT LAST NIGHT!"

Sakura began to pack up her things and stood up, but Ino yelped and tried to gesture for her to sit again. "No, no, don't go. Please, I want details on this."

"I'll give you details if you stay quiet," Sakura ground out, reclaiming her seat.

Ino nodded. "Fine, fine, that's fair."

The lunch rush was ending, and people were clearing out from the stand to head back to whatever previous commitments they had, leaving Sakura and Ino to their bench outside the stand, and themselves.

Sakura heaved a sigh and fingered the chipped paint of the bench, eyes cast downward. How could she tell her this without mentioning the controversial identities involved? She chewed her lip, weighed her options, and then told her.

"I kinda ran into this cute guy at a bar last night, and uhm, he offered to let me go back to his place...and I figured he wasn't bad-looking or anything, and it was a good chance...so I did it."

A lie had never tasted so bitter coming from her lips. She thought it sounded completely bogus, but Ino seemed to believe it, and clapped her hand over her mouth while letting out a muffled squeal.

"That's so risque!" she cried. "Oh my gosh, Sakura... You really are grown up!"

Sakura wasn't sure what part of that was supposed to underline her age, but she just nodded and gave a tolerating smile.

"So... did you use a condom?"

That was the phrase she knew had been on its way. She shook her head in response, and took a bite of her dango before answering.

"One of the perks of being a medicnin. There are special jutsu you can learn to prevent pregnancy. Sort of like taking a Plan B pill."

Ino propped her chin up on her hands, sighing wistfully. "That must be so convenient... I should learn that one. I sure could use it."

Sakura scoffed. "That doesn't say much to disprove the rumors going around."

"Hmph." Ino stuck her tongue out. "Rumors are caused by jealous and bitter people. And I have a lot for people to be jealous and bitter about, wouldn't you say?" She gestured towards her breasts, which almost seemed to jiggle on cue.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "That lifestyle's going to catch up with you. I thought your dad's been cracking down on you to get married or something."

"Oh yeah. That." Ino slumped, and tapped her chin, obviously in thought. "I could always trick the guy into getting me pregnant, if he's attractive and wealthy enough. Then he's bound to me for life, you know? My dad, and Shikamaru and Chouji's dad, would murder him if he left me then."

"That's just..." Sakura slapped her forehead.

Ino chuckled. "Don't worry, Sakura. I'm not that much of an awful person." She sipped the tea that accompanied her meal, and her eyes glazed over, another crazy thought brewing in her head.

"What now?" Sakura asked. "I see that look. You're serious about that idea, aren't you?"

"No... That's not it." Ino twirled her finger over the circumference of the teacup. "But, wouldn't that be kind of romantic? In a tragic, social life-ending sort of way."

The idea only made Sakura dig up the memories of the night previous. What if she hadn't used that jutsu as a Plan B? What if she could have become... Her breath hitched... Pregnant, with Hatake Kakashi's child?

Ino became aware at once of her train of thought, and giggled. "I guess you have some fond memories of last night, huh? Vir-gin."

Sakura glowered at her. "Shut up... It's not like that."

"So I think you're hiding it from me. Was it someone you knew?"

"No."

"I see that blush! IT WAS NARUTO WASN'T IT!"

"Hell no!"

"Neji?"

"No..."

"Chouji?"

"..."

"He's still nice you know, Sakura."

Sakura scowled. "Ino. I just want to forget about it. I can finally find a way out of this damned and cursed paper work hell, and get back out there."

"'The Demure Haruno Sakura, Out to Explore Her Deadly Sexuality'. Something like that?"

Sakura's cheeks burned. Ino had a way of pinning everything as a racy romance manga.

"Sure, whatever," she muttered.

"But hey, won't Tsunade be suspicious? I mean, if I were her, I'd feel bad if you came in like a few days later and was all, 'I'm virginity free, shishou!' or something. I'd feel guilty, like I forced you into it."

Ino had a point. Sakura chewed her lip. And knowing Tsunade, she was too smart to not wonder about it.

"I'll just say it was coincidence. Coincidences happen, right?"

"Well, sure, but they're not THAT common--"

"Either way. I'm going to tell her."

"This soon?"

"No. Yes. No..." Sakura ran her fingers through her high and sighed. "Maybe early next week."

Ino shrugged, and Sakura stood up, carrying her trash to the trash can and discarding it, brushing her apron off.

"I better return, or it'll be Shizune's head."

Ino nodded. "All right. Just... Sakura..."

Sakura turned and met her gaze.

"Are you sure you did it for the right reasons? I mean, I know I'm not exactly the poster child for meaningful sex," Ino chuckled half-heartedly. "But I mean, for most people that first time is supposed to be with the right person... And it's a big deal, and I just don't want you to end up regretting it. You know?"

Sakura's gaze softened, and she nodded with a small smile. "Un. I understand. Thanks, Ino-chan."

"'Ino-chan'? No 'Ino-buta' or 'Ino-baka'?" Ino's eyebrow rose and a smirk spread across her cheeks.

"Nope. Not today, not yet at least. See ya." Sakura flounced off quickly.

Truth be told, Tsunade had noticed something slightly different about her apprentice. There was a slight pained expression every time she sat down, or every time she took a stride. It had dragged on for a couple days, and when Sakura refused to call attention to it, she knew her suspicions were potentially confirmed. However, when Sakura stepped into her office 15 minutes early the next week, looking bashful as all get out, she knew her suspicions were 100 percent confirmed.

"Shishou, I--"

"Don't even start." Tsunade gave the pink-haired girl a knowing, coy smile. "I know what you're going to say."

Sakura's eyes widened, and her gaze fell to her feet.

"And yes, it was that obvious."

Sakura looked visibly uncomfortable.

"You're looking to discuss a raise, aren't you?"

Sakura's head snapped up. "What?"

"Well, aren't you?"

"...No..."

"Oh. Good. Then, go on."

Sakura pulled up a chair, and sat across from her, wringing her hands in her lap. "Shishou, I want to look into ladynin missions again."

"Again?" Tsunade's brow knit. "Sakura, you know the conditions for those..."

"I know. And I know that there's nothing really holding me back, at this point."

"...."

Sakura looked away.

"I knew it. So, when did it happen?"

"Last week," Sakura mumbled. "It was a coincidence, really. It didn't have anything to do with you wanting me to do the missions...you know?"

Tsunade's eyes softened. "If you insist... Well then, I guess I wouldn't have any reason to hold back then, would I?"

Sakura's heart leaped, and she nodded eagerly.

"So tell me, who was the lucky guy?"

"...eh!"

Tsunade smirked. "I want to know who the lucky guy was. What was his name? Surely you knew."

Sakura laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "Well, uh..."

"....Is it that hard?"

She thought quick, and blurted out her answer. "Kashino Hotaka."

Sure it wasn't a real name, sure it was a sort of play on the real man's name. Hell, she didn't even know if the surname was a real one or not.

But Tsunade seemed satisfied with her answer. "Hm..? I don't think I know them." She waved her hand. "Ah, well. If I don't know their name, they're probably not that cool anyway. So it was just a one night thing, right?"

Sakura nodded.

"Hn. Good." Tsunade swiveled around in her chair, facing the broad window and the landscape below.

"So, then... Does that mean, that I--"

"Yes. You can start your training."

Sakura was grinning ear-to-ear, and couldn't help but giggle and punch the air with a fist. "Yes!"

Tsunade glanced at her over her shoulder. "Aren't you even the least bit frightened? I mean, you know the implications of everything."

She shook her head. "I know all of them, but... It's kind of exciting, you know?"

The blonde gave her a warm smile. "That's the Sakura I know. I'll get everything in order then. Report back to me tomorrow morning, okay?"

Sakura nodded and bowed quickly before darting out of the room. Perhaps it hadn't been a mistake after all.

Though it almost could have been considered one, when it came to her actual training. She could have died of surprise and embarrassment, upon finding out who her 'senpai' was to be.

Mitarashi Anko pushed through the doors of the hokage office, a coy smile on her lips. "So, who am I trainin'?" she inquired, leaning against the doorway.

Tsunade pointed to Sakura, and Anko's jaw promptly dropped. All Sakura could do was try to offer a tiny smile.

"....H-Her?" Anko cried. "But she's... She's..." She tried all sorts of hand gestures, before Tsunade gave a single nod.

"Sakura here is my best apprentice. I told her it was in her best opportunity to give it a try, given her talents. And I knew that you're one of the best, so I was hoping you'd be able to... instruct her."

Anko scoffed. "'Instruct her'? I'm more afraid of corrupting her! Has she even... you know..."

"Yes," Sakura answered for herself. "I've had sex before."

Tsunade guffawed, rising from her chair. "Don't worry, Anko. Sakura's a quick and easy learner."

Anko still looked uneasy about the idea, rocking back and forth on her heels. "If you say so, Hokage-sama..."

"Go over the basics with her, and then I'll give you the rest of the mission details. Savvy?" Tsunade strode over and rested a hand on Anko and Sakura's shoulders.

Both girls nodded, and Tsunade took a step back, waving a hand in dismissal. Anko turned to Sakura, and gave her a weak smile.

"Well, then. I guess that's our cue to start."

They filed out of the office, out of the tower, and towards the edge of the town. Anko glanced over her shoulder at Sakura, and sighed.

"So they're trying to find new meat, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well. It seems all the other ladynin are either dropping out due to age, pregnancy... marriage... That whole deal. I figured they'd be starting to look for some fresher girls, but I had no idea that you'd be one of them." Anko let out a chuckle, and the tips of Sakura's ears burned.

"Yeah, me too."

As they passed by Ichiraku on the edge of town, Sakura's breath hitched as she caught sight of him. There he was, Hatake Kakashi. The man who had singlehandedly determined her fate the previous night. He was standing near the stand with Shiranui Genma, who was chattering away endlessly, his senbon bouncing up and down animatedly between his lips.

Anko seemed to have caught sight of them as well, and smirked. "Hey, isn't that your sensei?"

Oh, dear. Sakura hadn't anticipated this reaction. Her stomach literally churned, it felt as though it had done a complete 360. She swallowed, and forced a nod. "Yeah, that's him." If you could even call him that, after what they had done that last night...

Anko took that as initiative to stride over, leading poor Sakura to waddle after her, feeling as though she was dying with each step. She expected there would be a few awkward glances exchanged between them, maybe a knowing smile or a wink or two.

"Hey! Hatake, Shiranui!" Anko waved to them.

Genma lifted his head, eyebrows raising. "Anko... What are you doing here?" His gaze fell on Sakura. "And what are _you_ doing here with her?"

Anko waved it off. "Oh, nothing. Sakura's helping me look for some herbs and stuff." She cleared her throat, and smirked. "You know... a _girl_ thing."

Immediately, Genma looked away, a blush crossing his cheeks. "Ewww, you don't have to tell me about that stuff."

Anko shrugged. "Hey, you asked." She glanced over at Kakashi. "How are you holding up? You never talk to me anymore, I wonder if you're not just avoiding me."

Kakashi turned towards both of them, smiling as if he had never experienced a situation so natural. "Ah, I apologize, Anko-san. You see, lately there's been a rise in lost cats, and, being the kindred soul that I am, I can never pass up a poor elderly woman who needs someone to go after her's."

"Yeah, yeah. You and your usual bullshit." Anko rolled her eyes.

Kakashi shifted towards Sakura. "Ah, Sakura-chan. Fancy seeing you here." His eye crinkled, just the way it always had. No discreet hint or anything out of the ordinary. Just good old Kakashi and his usual mannerisms.

Sakura gulped. "Uh, you too."

"Well, you have a fine time with Anko here." He waved, and headed off in the opposite direction, the top of his trademark orange book cresting his back pocket.

Genma shrugged. "I guess I'll head out, too. Uh..." He looked from Anko to Sakura awkwardly. "Have fun with your, uh... womanly herb thing."

Anko grinned sweetly. "Why, of course. I'll give you all the details when I see you again."

He visibly twitched and swallowed stiffly. "Uh... huh...sure."

She twirled around and winked at Sakura. "Ready to go?"

Sakura gave a nod and the two of them continued on their way, throwing slight waves at Genma as they walked past.

"So what exactly are we going to go over?" Sakura asked, smoothing her apron as they reached their destination - a clearing just outside the gate, not too far from the fated spot where she had had that conversation with Kakashi.

Anko brushed off her top and plopped down on a shady spot of grass. "Just basic tips, maneuvers, that stuff. I figure the actual actions of the job are pretty needless to say." She wiggled her eyebrows at Sakura.

Sakura knelt beside her and laughed nervously. "You're right..."

"So. First thing's first. You arrive at the mission, you prep for whatever you have to do, as circumstances can vary. As for prepping the guy, you have to be sure to flatter him." Anko made a lot of gestures with her hands to try and emphasize as she went. "And any of those cheesy, success-proof flirting methods? Use them. These are dirtbags, who are only after one thing from women, and any glimmer of hope you give them will only score you more points."

Sakura nodded. "Okay."

"Be sure to be discreet though, pull him aside... and when you're going to do the final act, make sure no one's around who could overhear any signs of struggle. Basic shinobi rules, stuff you already know. Try not to leave any sign that could point towards your identity - blatant DNA evidence, clothing, weapons, nothing." Anko sprawled on her back and sighed. "So essentially, it's just the stuff you already know. Except that you have to put it towards sex, which is hard at first because you can't detach yourself from the situation without practice."

She turned over and gave a reassuring smile. "But the pay's good, and it does get easier."

But would she ever get used to sleeping with creepy criminals just to get a shot at killing them during their post-coital bliss, or to get a few snippets of forbidden information?

Sakura smiled back weakly. "Thanks, Anko."

"No problem. It's the least I can do." She stretched. "So apparently I'll be accompanying you on your first mission. You nervous?"

"A little.."

"Don't worry. I'll mostly just demonstrate for you, and let you pick up from observation. Sound good?"

She nodded.

"But seriously. Nothing extreme ever happens the first mission."

A/N: So, the next chapter's going to be the extra action-packed mission chapter! oooooh such mystique! :P

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've been so busy and stressed lately over school and graduating, that I've been limiting the time I have to write, which in turn has made me more stressed. :/

I know this chapter is kind of bland, but I promise - next chapter will be epic! And epic is something I'm usually not too good at.

Please review!


	6. It Begins

A/N: Is this the devil's work? Has someone attempted human transmutation and lifted her from the dead? Whatever the case, I'm back with the 6th chapter that many people thought would never come.. To be honest, I didn't even know if it would ever come. XD I reread the story and cringed through the terrible writing, the poor plot development... I hope that this chapter is more well-written and redeems the story at least somewhat! Unfortunately, it doesn't push the story too much farther along the way, but it's an update! Lots of exclamation points.

–

Chapter 6:

It Begins

–

It was drizzling three days later on the morning that Sakura was to receive her first official ladynin mission scroll. She pushed aside the curtains in her bedroom upon waking up, only to see empty streets and drops of rain trailing down the glass surface of the window. Making a sour face, she pushed away and headed to the bathroom to get a shower.

She couldn't place the feeling or the reason for it, but the past couple days had been marked by a sense of heaviness in her chest. Filling out paperwork at the clinic that essentially signed away her duties to the next capable medicnin in the village during her mission leave, she first noticed the feeling that had taken up residence within her. She often felt it somewhere deep in her ribcage, and at first she panicked and mistook it to be an undiagnosed cardiac arrhythmia or gall bladder disease before more sensible thinking took over.

From a lack of further symptoms to examine, Sakura had given in and labeled the feeling a mystery. Her career in medicine had given her the 'need' to diagnose every little thing she came across, and usually with highly accurate results. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was being at a disadvantage by not knowing what something was, or what to do to get rid of it.

After securing her hitai-ate in a tight knot at the base of her neck, she adjusted her bangs in the mirror and forced a smile. The effort didn't reach her eyes, which still looked tired and plagued with doubt. She groaned and knocked herself in the head with her fist.

"I have a mission to do, dammit!"

–

Sakura soon regretted her decision not to bring an umbrella in the current weather conditions. She grumbled and fixed her face into a tight scowl that lasted her entire walk to the Hokage tower.

She climbed the stairs to Tsunade's office, shaking rain-water out of her hair and then combing her fingers through it. She knocked on the the door, and received the usual bellow in response.

"Come in!"

Sakura rolled her eyes at her shishou's treatment of potential visitors, before turning the knob and entering. Tsunade was at her desk looking rather befuddled before a deck of cards spilled in front of her, a jug of sake not far. Shizune was surveying the scene with a look of helplessness.

"How do those damn geniuses count these cards?" Tsunade growled, picking up a card and flicking it across the surface of her desk. "They do it and then they win every time..." She reached over and took a generous swig from her jug of alcohol.

Sakura fought a laugh before striding over to the desk. "Tsunade-sama, I'm here for my mission scroll."

"Eh?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow from over the mouth of the jug before setting it down, a blush of drunkenness painted over her cheeks. "Oh, that. Right." She waved her hand in Shizune's direction, and the mousy brown-haired medic scuttled towards a fixture that looked similar to a filing cabinet, positioned to the right behind Tsunade's desk.

Shizune fumbled around in the cabinet, muttering about 'needs to organize as well as she drinks' before finally withdrawing a small scroll and handing it to Sakura with a weak but forced sweet smile. "Here you go, Sakura-san."

"Thank you, Shizune-san," Sakura said, nodding to the assistant of the Hokage before facing the leader herself. "Is there...anything I should know?" She swallowed in uncertainty, looking down at the slim scroll of parchment held within her hands.

Tsunade waved a manicured hand at the scroll. "Read it first before you ask."

Sakura carefully spread the tightly bound parchment, unrolling it enough to read the scrawl. As she intently read, Tsunade echoed the words in a colloquial fashion.

"You are to head to the Kusagakure with Anko as your leader, and your target is a man who goes by the name of Arima Hidetaro. He is wanted in 3 countries, as you can see, and he is a solliciter of prostitutes, a partner in the illegal drug trade... The usual fun stuff." Tsunade steepled her fingers and rested her chin atop them, suddenly looking vaguely sober. "Basically, it'll be a piece of cake. The guy loves girls who put out, and as long as you can get him to choose you then we're good. If worse comes to worse, we have Anko. If he dislikes both of you, then he is probably gay, and you can use a henge."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows, glancing at the scroll one more time and then back up at her smiling teacher. "Wait. I get the basics of this target, but what I don't get is... What do you want me to do with him?"

Tsunade's face fell blank as though someone had just informed her that they believed the moon was made of cheese. She promptly poured herself a dainty cup of sake and downed it a single shot. Shizune was to the right of her, biting the inside of her cheek and wringing her hands in front of her as though she didn't know what to say.

"I'm supposed to know this, aren't I?" Sakura deadpanned, suddenly feeling quite stupid. Or maybe she was just in denial, a little voice wondered in the back of her head.

"I'm going to send you on this mission, and you can't even guess what I want you to do to the man?" Tsunade asked, her voice incredulous as she gawked at the girl before her.

The pinkette blushed a dark pink and looked down at the scroll.

"Get the man alone, and distract him with your body so you can kill him!" The blonde hokage cried. "Sometimes just flashing your boobs alone will get the job done!"

"Yeah, maybe in your case," Shizune snorted from her side.

Tsunade shot her a dark look before facing Sakura, who looked as though she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown as she clutched the scroll at arm's length, staring at the mugshot of Arima Hidetaro displayed as the header.

Her arms shook, and she looked up at her shishou before forcing the words out, "I have to sleep with THIS?"

Both of the women before her face-palmed and let out groans. Tsunade pressed on her temples and swished the remaining alcohol in her sake jug around.

"This is kind of what you signed up for, Sakura. I don't know if you remember correctly or not," Tsunade's tone was flat as her honey-colored eyes hardened as they examined the pink-haired girl before her.

The words hit Sakura right in the core, and she lowered the scroll to her side before letting her eyes wander to the window, watching the drops sluice down the surface. Her lower lip jutted out, and she chewed it anxiously. What had she gotten herself into? Blinded by opportunity... The chance for more in life... Being blinded had gotten her here, choosing to use her body to kill.

What had driven her to this point? If she looked back on her career, she should have been perfectly content with life as a medicnin. She loved medicine nearly to the point of obsession. She was world renowned for her expertise on poisons and other agents, and was the most skilled healer in the village having arguably surpassed Tsunade.

She was lonely. Life as a medicnin meant enduring long hours alone, coming home late to an empty apartment with perhaps only a pet cat as company. An angry, hungry pet cat. Dating didn't work out so well, as most boys were turned off by her schedule and also her abilities as a self made woman.

And then...

What cemented her decision was that one night...

_"Would I suffice?" _

The first time anyone had truly indicated an interest in her, no matter how forced. She couldn't turn down the offer, and she felt it hinted at what was to come. Men being interested in her, finding her charming.

She hadn't expected those men to look like this.

Flicking her eyes over at the picture of Arima again, she let out a quiet sigh. Then again, not every man was as attractive as Kakashi...

"You can always change your mind, Sakura. I can give you time to think about it," Tsunade said.

Sakura shook her head vigorously. "No, shishou. I've decided. I'm going to cement my original decision, and go on this mission." She gave her a broad smile before continuing, "No more doubt."

Tsunade returned the smile with an air of wistfulness. "Now that's the apprentice I trained." She rose from her seat and turned to look out the window, her expression slightly dampened by the equally damp weather outdoors. "You leave in two days, early in the morning. Coordinate with Anko and set an exact time." She glanced over her shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "Good luck, Sakura."

–

Sakura had set the mission scroll on her dresser while packing her belongings into an olive-colored knapsack that hadn't seen much action in months. A set of poison scrolls, vials of lethal poisons, antidotes, basic first aid kits and soldier pills. She had packed a spare change of clothes, having deliberated for a good fifteen minutes in front of her closet before yanking out the prettiest and most arguably skankiest dress she owned (a gift from Ino, no doubt), and threw in a pair of heels as well. She figured that it wouldn't hurt to have them on hand regardless of what Anko had told her.

"Don't worry! I got you got covered as far as what to wear," she had said with a wink.

Somehow she didn't quite trust Anko's sense of slut fashion. So thus, the unworn dress and heels remained. She wondered what this man, Arima Hidetaro really liked in a woman. It was made out to seem that he liked anything with two legs and a set of well-accentuated boobs, as well as a well-painted face. In Sakura's definition, he liked his whores. However, she wasn't quite acquainted with how that kind dressed. After all, her only real brush with 'loosely' dressed women was from Ino, and while it would be absolutely hilarious to call Ino a whore she wasn't quite sure that the two were one and the same.

She scrunched up the fabric of the dress in her hands as she held it in the bag, sighing. She supposed it was pretty, in a way. It was a hot pink halter dress with glittery fabric and a low V-cut front, definitely something that Ino would have purchased. She rolled her eyes and went on to pack spare weaponry, meanwhile reloading her own weapon utility belt and wrapping it around her waist.

When she was all done, Sakura hoisted the backpack over her and snatched the scroll, ready to head out.

–

Sakura was set to meet Anko in front of the village gates in less than half an hour, so she had some time to spare. She ducked her head in the Yamanaka no Hana shop to see if Ino was on shift, only to see her father Inoichi fluffing up the bouquets by the counter. She gave a wave once he lifted his head to acknowledge her lingering in the shop doorway, and he smiled warmly at her and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Heading out on a mission, Sakura?" He inquired, looking at the straps of the bag hanging over her shoulders and the belt of weapons and tags slung around the waist of her old chuunin-era uniform.

She nodded, grinning. Yamanaka Inoichi had always treated her like a second daughter throughout her childhood up until adulthood, no matter what terms she and Ino were on. She considered him a father figure that she lacked in her personal life, and appreciated the warmth he showed her.

"Is Ino around?" she asked.

Inoichi shook his head. "Afraid not. She's around town with the boys, doing some shopping I believe." He smiled, offering, "Do you want me to give her your regards before you leave?"

"Yes, please!" Sakura nodded. She looked at the clock on the wall behind the counter, which used different breeds of flowers to denote the hours of the day, only to find that she was running short on time. She gave a quick bow. "Sorry, Yamanaka-san, but I'm running late. Thank you, though!" She ran out the door while waving over her shoulder, leaving Inoichi chuckling behind her.

Sakura rushed down the main avenue that was already stirring with morning activity, and hung a sharp right past Ichiraku, pausing to wave at Ayame before continuing on her way and dodged figures that popped up in her way. At last, she saw the village gates in sight, as well as Anko who appeared to be flirting with Hagane Kotetsu on guard duty.

She had her arms crossed under her bust, pressing her bosom up to enhance her cleavage. Poor Kotetsu was trying to back away and avoid the enticing site she presented his eyes for the sake of his integrity, but seemed to be failing miserably under Anko's spell. It was amazing... Sakura approached slowly, feeling a part of herself wish that she had that ability to sway men so easily.

Anko gave a quick glance to the side and saw her partner, her previously coy smile transforming into a gleeful one as she lifted her arm and waved hello. "Oi! Sakura!"

Sakura returned the smile, and Kotetsu looked thankful to have attention taken off of him, scurrying off to the side to return to his guard post duties.

"I see you've come prepared... Are you ready to head off?" Anko gave a cheeky grin.

"You know it!" Sakura nodded firmly, gripping the straps to her backpack tightly.

Anko turned her head to the side inquisitively, surveying the girl. "Are you nervous?" she asked.

Sakura's first instinct was to shake her head, but upon second thought, she did feel a bubble of hesitance rising in her gut. She chewed her lip, and nodded. "Yeah... a little bit..."

"Don't worry! I was too on my first ladynin mission. What a lame name, don'tcha think?" At this point, Anko had started walking outside the gates, and Sakura had fallen into step beside her. The violet-haired Jounin flashed a toothy smile at her partner. "Like I said before, things rarely go wrong the first time. What could go wrong, really?"

Obviously, this woman didn't operate off of logic, but Sakura decided that for the sake of her sanity and comfort, it was best if she shut off her sense of logic as well for the duration of the trip. She drew in a deep breath, and plastered on a smile of confidence onto her face.

"I can do this," she asserted.

–

"I can't do this," Sakura said, shaking her head when she saw Anko's idea of a 'clever' disguise.

"Why not?" Anko shook the outfit, her lower lip jutting in a manner that was starting to remind Sakura of Ino. "There is no way you are going to convince him if you go in looking like that..." She gave Sakura the head to toe sweep. "Not to mention your Konoha-nin get up."

Sakura plucked at her shirt, making a slight pout at the jab. "So I have to wear that?" She gestured at the offending item held within Anko's hands.

"Come on, Sakura. It's not like I'm having you go in wearing a bikini and 4 inch heels," Anko dead-panned.

Sakura's face blanched at the mentioning of heels.

"You mean you've never worn heels?" Her partner looked stunned. "Why did they send you of all people out here? Why not that Yamanaka slut?"

"Well... I signed up for this, you know. I wasn't exactly forced," the pink-haired girl said, shuffling her feet.

"Are you really sure you have what it takes?" Anko pressed one hand to her temples, sighing, and then put a hand on her hip. She raised an eyebrow as a flood of different emotions crossed Sakura's face.

Fear, doubt, anger, sadness, worry... then confidence.

"How can I learn if I've never tried?" Sakura demanded. She snatched the garment from Anko's hands and stormed off behind a tree to change. A few moments later, she cleared her throat and very politely asked, "Could you please come help me?"

After successfully fitting Sakura into the outfit, she spent a couple moments admiring herself. It was a red cocktail dress that ended just above her knees, and she absolutely loved the way that the fabric swished and swayed with each movement that she made. It would have made the perfect dress for dancing, with the dramatic effect that the fabric created with each step, creating an almost dream-like effect. The dress itself was covered in sparkles, beads, glitter... Anything shiny under the sun, Sakura was willing to bet money that it was sewn onto this dress. Each time it caught in the sunlight, it glittered in a captivating way. It went from being just an unassuming red dress, to being entirely something else, and she was the lucky girl wearing it!

She couldn't remember the last time she wore something so pretty!

Anko cleared her throat after a few moments. "If you're done admiring yourself and prancing about like a faery, I believe it's time to finish the rest of your look. I think I'm going to have to train you a bit before we actually get any closer to Arima's position." She dug into her trench coat and pulled out a pocket watch, flipping it open, and smirked. "Which is fine, considering we have a bit of time to spare."

"No, now WALK. Walk. Walk, yes. Yes, like that."

"Like this?" Sakura stepped across the grass, her knees bent inward and her back hunched over in a crude imitation of walking.

"Something like that, yes," Anko said with a grimace.

Sakura sucked in her stomach and tried to straighten her back, her ankles wobbling as she did so. She struck her arms out on both sides to try and balance, and took two slow steps, carefully measuring where to step down.

"Hey, look who's doing better!" Her efforts were met with applause.

In a painfully slow act, Sakura was able to make her way back to her mentor, her face contorted in a look of agony the entire way. She collapsed to her knees at the last step, breathing heavily.

"God, I did it!" she gasped, wiping a hand across her forehead.

"You did!" Anko cried, clapping her hands. "I think you've got that one down okay for now, as you'll have something to hold on to when you're inside. Now we just have to figure out... make-up."

"Make-up?" Sakura's head snapped up. "What kind of makeup?"

"It's been mentioned in reports that Arima favors blondes..." Anko pulled out the mission file, flipping through the pages and stopping as her eyes lifted and locked on Sakura's, her lips curling and her eyes twinkling in mischief. "I wonder what you'd look like as a blonde, Sakura-_chan._.."

Sakura gulped, wondering what was in store for her.

–

"Is this permanent?" Sakura shrieked, tugging at locks of her hair as she looked at her reflection in a stream. Meanwhile, Anko stood behind her, looking somewhat proud of herself.

"Don't worry, it's just a jutsu. I learned it at the beginning of my kunoichi days. It's a lot less stressful than keeping up a henge the entire time, right?"

"Yeah, but I didn't even give my consent!" Sakura snapped, massaging her now fair-haired scalp.

"Relax! As soon as we get back to Konoha, we can find the fix. You're a medic-nin, you should know how to fix it. I usually just let mine grow out," Anko said with a shrug.

"What?" Sakura bellowed. If there was one thing she didn't want, it was to be blonde alongside Ino. There was only room for one loud-mouthed young adult blonde vixen, and that was Ino. Sakura wanted no part in figuring out if blondes really had more fun or whatever nonsense people spouted!

Her lower lip quivered. "Does it look bad?" she asked.

"No!" Anko held up her hands, shaking them. "Otherwise, I would have fixed it. You actually make a decent blonde. It goes with your complexion, somehow."

How was she ever going to get her trademark Haruno pink locks back? She chewed her lip, and thought of Tsunade and all the tricks up her sleeve. Then she imagined herself collapsing before her ex-mentor, crying and blonde-haired and begging for a fix, bowing before her desk. Tsunade would probably sit there appalled, but there had to be something. It was just a jutsu. It was just hair.

"Now for your make-up. Here, look at me." Anko reached into a small canvas zip bag and withdrew a bottle of liquid liner. "You can't move at all while I put this on, you hear?"

Sakura made a face, but knelt down on the ground obligingly, still as a statue. Anko crouched down in front of her, uncapping the bottle and brushing off extra liner from the brush before giving out her first instructions, "Now, open your eyes, and look off to the side."

Once her eyes were lined, Anko moved on to mascara, which was even more awkward for her to put on. "Look up, okay?" Anko instructed. There was one time where Sakura blinked at the wrong time, and saliva was used to clean up the mess, much to Sakura's protests.

"That is so unsanitary, Anko! Do you know how disease spreads?" Sakura made a disgusted look before instantly relaxing her face into one lacking any expression as Anko resumed her handiwork.

"Perhaps all that medic-nin shit has gone to your head too much," Anko muttered, capping the mascara and digging through her bag until she found a shade of lip color that flattered Sakura's skin tone. "Pout for me. Shouldn't be too hard, considering you've been doing it the entire day."

Sakura started to glare but pursed her lips. Her eyes felt heavy from all of the make-up weighing down her lashes and caked on her eyelids. Anko had blended in some eyeshadow for a 'smokey eye effect', some terminology that was lost upon Sakura. She felt as though she was getting ready for some kind of school formal that non-shinobi teens often went to. The teens who weren't off saving the village and the world.

Anko smiled to herself as she spread the lipstick over the girl's lips. "You clean up nice, pinkie. Or should I say, blondie? Smack your lips together now."

While making a sour face, Sakura rubbed her lips together and smacked them, lifting a hand to touch before Anko batted it away.

"Don't ruin my hard work!" she said.

"Sorry..." Sakura mumbled. Honestly, she was curious about the process of making oneself up. While Ino often tried to give her make-overs, she never dared to use the same amount of make-up on Sakura that she used on herself. It was the first time she was wearing this much make-up. Hell, it was the first time for a lot of things today.

Anko handed her a mirror, smiling coyly. "Check yourself out while I go get myself ready. Try not to cry, it'll undo half of what I just did." She rose and walked away.

Sakura looked into the small mirror, not expecting to see much of a difference to have a reaction to, but she nearly dropped the mirror when she met her reflection. She let out a short, succinct cry of surprise, clapping her hand over her cheek.

She looked _hot_.

Even if she had pink hair, she still would look hot right now! Once the shock split into a big, cheeky grin, it couldn't be stopped. Eat your heart out, Konoha boys! She practiced blowing a kiss to the mirror experimentally.

Offhandedly, she wondered what Kakashi would think if he saw her now.

Big, cheeky grin aborted. Her face slowly inched its way into a look of pensiveness, and she lowered the mirror into her lap. Where had that thought come from? She had promised she wouldn't feel anything weird about him, and now here she was...

Hormones! She just lost her virginity, it's only natural. Hormones! That's all.

Sakura loved being a medic-nin sometimes. It gave her convenient excuses to intangible problems.

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A/N: Yeah, this is where I'm cutting it off right now. But hey, I updated after a year and a half! I lost some of my original fic plans so I had to kind of sit down and mish-mash some together. It won't take forever to get a chapter 7 out, I'm pretty sure. I already started it! Please read and review!


	7. Into the Devil's Den

A/N: It's here! It's been in the works for like 8 months, but it's finally here! The good news is that I (-knock on wood-) don't think it will be hard for me to keep up with this story anymore. I think I might have a better idea of where I'm going with this again, and that's always good, right?

I've been SOOO obsessed with Marina and the Diamonds' album Electra Heart. It fueled most of this chapter. A lot of those songs will help me write some good KakaSaku fanfiction. I just know it. Unghffffhh.

Oh, and I have a Rurouni Kenshin multichapter fic up, called 'Of Lust and Laundry'. If it has the word 'Lust' in the name, you know it'll be somewhat interesting. It's not as good as this fic, I think, but I hope it'll get better as it goes on.

Sorry if it's kinda short and not detailed enough. I really wanted to get something up!

Please review and let me know what you thought, or just say 'hi'. :D

P.S.: The name of the club, 'Iroppoi Oppai', means 'sexy boobs' in Japanese. XD

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Chapter 7:

Into the Devil's Den

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"Where is this place?" Sakura asked, standing beside Anko before tall red arched gates with red paper lamps dangling from the top. A road with a row of old-fashioned buildings lay beyond, but there was something about the area beyond that point that made Sakura's stomach turn. It reminded her of the side of Tanzaku town that Jiraiya would often skip off to, the side of town that she made a habit of avoiding. She already had a feeling that she knew where she was.

"Welcome to Kusagakure's red light district, _Hanami_," Anko said, looking at the companion beside her with a wry smile. "For this mission, you will be called Kugimiya Hanami, you are from the countryside born from common farming parents, and you came here to find your poor lost brother. Or sister, I forget."

"And you?" Sakura raised an eyebrow with vague interest. "What's your alias?"

"Hokage-sama went kinda boring with mine, I'm Komatsu Aoi," Anko replied, crinkling her nose. "What a fruity name, doesn't suit me at all. She probably did it to punish me for screwing up on my last mission."

Sakura snorted in amusement. She often remembered Tsunade doing subtle sneaky things to get revenge on those who didn't perform their best, be it on their day to day jobs, or on missions. Giving Anko a cutesy name was definitely a most amusing punishment.

"Come on, we've got a long night ahead of us, blondie," Anko said, pushing forward past the large red gate. "Let's try and get this done nice and fast so we can get home fast."

Sakura skipped to try and catch up to her, immediately noticing the change in atmosphere. Men, men, men. Men everywhere. The only women she saw were dressed scantily, their hair drawn up to the top of their head with only tassels of hair hanging down around the back of their neck, wearing heels that had to be at least 6 inches tall. The men all looked like they could have been Sakura's father, business men or shinobi off the job looking for a good time, ranging from around her age to about 55. The sidewalks were crowded and simply bursting with women advertising their bodies, and men filing down the roads in and out of establishments. She felt almost over-dressed.

She jumped when she felt Anko's hand on her shoulder, coaxing her to move along. Swallowing, she picked up the pace and tried to pretend that she was at a carnival. A carnival with... rides, and games with prizes, and oh kami-sama, she had to stop.

"Are you sure you know where he usually goes?" She silenced her mind by speaking.

"Of course I am, rookie. Why else would I be leading the way?" Anko asked with a prideful smirk. "Now stick close so you don't get swept away."

Sakura felt like they would be walking in the crowd of depravity all night until Anko finally stopped, muttering a small, 'Aha!' She followed her senpai's gaze and saw a medium to large sized establishment called, 'Iroppoi Oppai'', decorated with animated flashing neon lights, depicting women in provocative positions with their breasts exposed.

"Disgusting," Sakura said under her breath and Anko happily skipped towards the entrance. She did her best to catch up quickly, still not so in love with her heels.

"Welcome to Iro-ppai!" Two hostesses chimed together, bowing at the waist in sync.

The interior was a dark crimson, with pale lime green neon lights piped along the top of the walls, providing the majority of the lighting in the dimly lit lounge. All that Sakura could make out from where she stood at the entrance was a large bar directly ahead, and platforms layered high above with what looked to be couches with people on them.

As she and Anko made their way down the hallway to enter the lounge, she was startled by a flickering strobe light streaking across the length of the vast room, and she leaped upon the opportunity to stake out the man she was sent for. However, just as the light had come, it had gone, leaving the area in near darkness yet again.

"Dammit," she cursed softly next to Anko's ear. "How will we ever find him in a place like this?"

"Patience, Hanami," she purred. "You didn't think this would be a quick affair, did you?"

Sakura stepped back, trying to make out the expression on her companion's face, but Anko stepped down into the center of the lounge where the bar was, and Sakura could barely register the image of a hand or an arm waving in the shadows as she went.

"C'mon, let's enjoy ourselves while we wait," she said, and Sakura hesitantly followed, feeling utterly lost.

They sat upon two of the tallest barstools that she had ever sat on, and Anko leaned on her elbow and got the bartender's attention. "Two vodka cranberries, please," she requested in a low voice."

"Anko," Sakura hissed, but Anko's head spun around and she gripped her hand with a bruising force, reminding her of her place and identity.

She amended her mistake, whispering harshly instead, "Aoi!"

"Yes, Hanami-chan?" Sakura was surprised by the sudden snap in personality, but sank against the back of her stool.

"It's too dark," she said, lamenting.

"Don't worry," Anko told her, seizing the glass that the bartender slid her way. She pumped her straw up and down, stirring her drink. "It won't be for long."

Sakura gripped her own drink and sipped, making a face at the tang. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

"You'll see. Enjoy your drink for now."

She looked down unsurely at the glass on the counter in front of her, but continued to sip. She was more used to throwing drinks down the hatch instead of enjoying them leisurely, but she supposed that the cranberry taste was enough to make it bearable.

When she was a quarter of the way down her glass, the room suddenly filled entirely with light. She almost fell out of her chair in shock, slamming a fist against her chest and thumping it against her heart in an attempt to calm down. "Oh gosh, jeez...I wasn't expecting that..." she gasped, turning to acknowledge her companion.

Anko was entirely calm, and looked at Sakura with an eyebrow cocked. "Why not?" she asked. "I warned you it would happen."

Before Sakura could protest against that, the sound of a microphone being tested got her attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I have the pleasure of introducing to you tonight, the Iroppai dancers!"

She turned and gave Anko a puzzled look, and the lights dimmed ever so slightly as energetic music flooded the speakers and the sound of people cheering came from all around the room. "What's going on?" she asked, her voice drowning amidst the sounds.

Anko leaned in, saying, "It's the time of the night when the club dancers come out and shake their stuff for a while." She leaned back and shrugged.

Sure enough, a line of scantily-clad young women trailed into the room and posed just as the beat began to pick up in the song. Sakura craned her neck and saw many dozens of men standing up on the higher levels overlooking the center of the lounge, pumping their fists and staring at the women with eyes overtaken by lust. It was almost like a crude colosseum in which the men acted as spectators of the women below, who had begun to form a circle and sway their hips.

"Look at them," Sakura said with a scoff, gesturing to the men above.

"There's a reason they're so excited," Anko told her, sighing. "Those women are owned by the owner of this club, and he acts as their pimp of sorts."

Feeling her body grow hot, Sakura turned to her, frowning. "You don't mean...? These men will get to 'buy' them after this is done?"

"Their services, yeah," her senpai said with a nod, taking a long sip from her glass. "Just for the night, though."

"How barbaric," she murmured, willing her eyes to look away from the women, but found herself drawn in.

They extended their arms toward the men in a long sweeping motion before drawing their arms back and with another quick movement, their tops were removed. It happened so fast that Sakura wasn't sure it had happened, except the loud jeering above her confirmed it.

"I can't do something like that," she said, shaking her head. "I couldn't."

"You probably won't, so that's fine," Anko said with a smile. "What we do is just pretend, but for them, that's their job."

Their job. Sakura stared at the women, a million thoughts clouding her mind. What if those women had had the opportunities to become kunoichi?

What if she had been born into that kind of life, as someone else's property?

She bit her lip, brushing her hand against her cheek and imagining someone else owning every piece of her from the strands of her hair to the flesh of her feet.

"Hanami, now's a good time to start scoping the place," Anko told her. "You should get the left side, and I'll get the right." She stood, brushing herself off and winking at the bartender. "Got a lot of cute guys here, we don't want to miss any."

"Right," Sakura agreed with a nod. Anko turned and waved at her as she walked away to the other side of the lounge, disappearing into the shadows with her hips swaying from side to side effortlessly.

Sakura sank forward against the bar counter, wondering how she was going to go about doing this. She was feeling uneasy now after seeing the reaction from all of those men, now all she wanted to do was close her eyes and open them to see that she was in Konoha again.

"What's troubling such a pretty thing like you?" A man asked, taking the seat on the other side of her.

Without even turning to acknowledge him, she whispered, "I just feel bad for those women."

"Yes, it is rather degrading, isn't it?" The man said gently, and then flagged down the bartender. "One Jack Daniel's, please. No ice."

From the corner of her eye, she watched him, until she had to turn her head to get a full look at him. Hesitantly, she tilted her head, and her eyes widened when she saw how young he was.

He must have sensed something from her end, because he turned to look at her and gave her an amused smile. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"N-Nothing," she said quietly. He wasn't Arima, so she didn't have business with him.

"Just surprised that I'm not a middle-aged man who's all over you, trying to take you to bed with me?" He asked with a chuckle, thanking the bartender quietly when his drink was placed before him.

As a reflex, her head snapped in his direction. "Why are you here?" she asked quickly.

He raised an eyebrow. She could see that he had cool black eyes, a handsome straight nose, and black hair that fell across his forehead diagonally. He was pretty handsome, and she wished that he could have been Arima, just to make things less painful for her.

But that would make things worse in the end, when she had to kill him.

"My friends dragged me here," he said coolly. "I'm not into this stuff, but they really wanted to see this place."

"Oh, I see," she said quietly, slowly sliding off of her stool.

"Why are you here?" he asked in return. "It's unusual to see women here, I hear, unless they're here for work."

Sakura stiffened, and turned her head away, swallowing. "It's my friend. She's visiting her boss. I've been trying to get her to quit this place," she said, her voice shaking only slightly. She hoped against hope that he bought her story.

"I hope for your sake and her's that she listens to you. There's a bad scene associated with this place," he said, lowering his voice.

"Oh?" she leaned in.

"A man named Arima is supposedly funding this club through his drug runs," he told her, his eyes glittering as though he was telling her a juicy secret. "He's not above killing, I hear, so I suggest you two girls get out of hear and forget you ever came here."

She giggled. "Thank you, Mister, but my friend and I can fend for ourselves just fine. Thanks for the concern." She slid the rest of the way off of her stool.

"I'm sure you can," he said, his voice vague enough to tell her that he didn't believe her for a second.

Sakura began to step away from him, and said, "Speaking of my friend, I need to go check on her. It was nice meeting you."

"Yes. Yes, it was... What was your name, again?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized, bowing quickly and pretending to be flustered. "How rude of me. I'm Kugimiya Hanami."

"Kugimiya-san... You can call me Mishima," he said with a gentle smile. "I hope that we have the pleasure of meeting again someday."

Not knowing what else to say, she gave another bow and a wave, and scampered away into the darkness. At least he had given her good information, and he had been handsome to boot.

"Hanami!"

"Hanamiiii!"

"HANAMI!"

It took a bit for her to register that that was her name now, and she spun around, embarrassed to see Anko hanging in the shadows not far from an emergency exit.

"Sorry, Aoi," she murmured, blushing.

"You!" She said, frowning. "We have a bit of a problem."

Sakura paled. "What is it?"

"He's not alone," Anko said. "We're going to have to approach him carefully, we don't want to annoy him by being too pushy and making him mad."

"Right," Sakura agreed.

"C'mon." Anko waved at her to follow her.

They disappeared into the darkness, creeping along for what felt like hours to Sakura until she bumped into Anko's back, standing on tip-toe to peer over her shoulders.

"This way," Anko whispered. "Up these stairs. Watch your step."

The newly-blonde Sakura nodded despite knowing that it was too dark for anyone to see, and reached out until her fingers came in contact with smooth, curved metal. The railing of the staircase. She kept her eyes trained on the slight shimmer that Anko's dress carried whenever it caught the right angle from the dull light radiating down from the strip of green neon along the edge of the ceiling. She managed to make each step without tripping and making a fool of herself, and when they reached the landing at the top, she was relieved to see that it was more properly lit on the upper levels of the club.

By now, things had quieted down amongst the men, and the dancers had gone 'backstage' for a little cool-down. She imagined that it wouldn't be long until they would be offered off for the night, and her stomach began to turn at the thought. Though when she really thought about it, she wasn't certain of what her own night would hold.

Anko brushed her hand against her wrist as a signal to pay attention, and she swallowed and willed herself to act like the woman she had been hired to be. It was difficult when Anko made it look as simple as breathing, the way her hips rolled as she led Sakura down the navy-carpeted path, leather booths and over-stuffed couches on each side. Many were filled with men clinking their glasses, discussing with one another animatedly, though there were many more that were filled with heated moments between men and women.

Women with their necks arched, legs splayed over the cushions, moaning loudly over the jazzy music that buzzed through the speakers. Men with their neckties untied and hanging loosely around their necks, their faces buried in a woman's breasts or the crook of her neck.

Sakura couldn't help but feel like she was intruding, but Anko paused and whispered something into her ear, "There's a reason it's not bright in here."

Would it have mattered anyway? These people were going at it like nothing in the world could tear them apart. Interestingly, in the next table over there could be a group of men playing cards and looking as though they were there on business, with a woman seated between each of them silently looking on.

They stopped so that a waitress in a revealing kimono-style dress with bare shoulders and an enviable cleavage could pass. Anko elbowed Sakura in the ribs quickly, wrapping an arm around her and giving her a hard shove forward once the path was clear.

Before she could yell at her and demand to know what was going on, she found herself sprawled across someone's lap.

"I'm so sorry!" Anko gushed, shuffling forward and kneeling to lift Sakura to her feet. "My friend here is just so clumsy!"

Sakura's eyes were wide when she recognized the man whose lap she had fallen into. Arima Hidetaro...

There was laughter coming from the men he was surrounded by. Arima himself didn't look unhappy, rather he was smiling cheerfully.

"Please, it's not an issue," he said smoothly, his eyes falling on Sakura. "What's your name, girl?"

"Kugimiya Hanami," she said, bowing stiffly.

"I'm Arima Hidetaro. Why don't you and your not-so-clumsy friend join me and my friends?" he asked, smiling with grayed teeth exposed.

"I-It would be the least that I could do, sir," she replied hurriedly, forcing herself to keep her head down as she stood with her hands clasped in front of her. Her blonde locks fell across her face, and she felt like the lamb being led to the slaughter knowingly.

Anko stepped up next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and smiling charmingly. "I'm Komatsu Aoi, sir. It would be an honor for us to join you men tonight," she announced, practically purring.

"Yes... make yourselves comfortable," Arima spoke, keeping his eyes trained only on Sakura.

Anko stole an empty chair from a nearby table and pulled it up next to one of Arima's shyer looking associates. She immediately put herself to work.

Arima stood and offered Sakura his chair with a gesture of his hand. "I'll get a chair for myself," he said, smiling. "It would be unbecoming for such a pretty girl to go get one for herself."

Sakura pretended that she was blushing, pressing a hand to her cheek and smiling shyly as she seated herself where the notoriously dangerous man had been sitting not seconds before. She looked at Anko and made eye contact, and Anko's lips tugged to the right slyly with a wink.

'We got this.' Her gaze all but screamed.

It was hard not to feel confident, but Sakura still knew from plenty of mission experience in the past that it was easy for things to change direction rather quickly, and to lose focus was to lose the advantage.

Arima set a chair beside her and seated himself, and she drew in a shallow breath as she prepared herself.

"Hanami, was it? What are you and your friend doing in a place like this?" he asked her with a curious raise of his eyebrow.

"We're looking for somebody," Anko spoke from across the table.

"Oh?" Arima's eyes flashed.

"My brother," Sakura added softly, looking down at her lap and twining her fingers together in what wasn't entirely feigned anxiety. "We were told that he could be here."

"The jerk abandoned her last year when she was still just a kid, left her to take care of the house alone," Anko explained. "He ran off with the family inheritance. We think he probably blew it all here in this town."

"Where are you from, girl?" One of the other men at the table asked.

"I'm from a small town in the country," Sakura said. "Not many people have heard of it, but it's called Inaka."

Hushed mumbling amongst the men resounded, though she could make out faintly, 'No, I've never heard of that,' 'Never heard of such a place'.

"What's your brother's name?" Arima asked gently, and she was not unaware of him drawing closer over time.

"Haruki," she said quietly, biting down on her lip. She had to make herself act choked up! Only then would her story really be believable.

"A Kugimiya Haruki, huh?" One of the men mused out loud. "I don't believe I've ever heard of that name before."

"No, I haven't either," Another man agreed with him. "What about you, Arima-kun?"

"No," Arima said, his voice low. "I haven't heard that name once in my life."

"Well, damn," Anko cut in. "I guess we have to keep looking, then, Hanami." She looked across the table at her companion with a gaze full of empathy. "Don't lose hope, we'll find him."

Sakura nodded, her head still bowed. She began to think of whatever sad, depressing thoughts that she could in order to tie them to this false brother who had left her. Sasuke leaving her... Sasuke rejecting her...

Kakashi.

Oh, of course. The one person she didn't want to think of. How fucking cliché.

A lump formed deep in the back recesses of her throat, and began to swell rapidly. She lifted her head and looked at Anko. "You really think so?" She asked in a choked voice.

She felt a hand on her back and didn't think to stiffen. Arima leaned in and stroked her cheek with a large index finger.

"Don't cry, flower. You're too pretty to shed tears," he cooed.

Though she didn't want to, she forced herself to lean into his touch.

"Let me order you a drink, hm?"

–

2 saucers of sake later, and Sakura was having trouble separating fact from fiction, finding herself really growing into the part of Hanami.

Arima himself had had much more to drink, along with the other men. It seemed customary that they all get stupidly drunk, and he was starting to place his hands in places that weren't so appropriate.

Anko had the shy man from earlier running through her fingers like putty, ordering her drinks and starting to grow bold enough to call her beautiful.

"My, my, it's getting late," Anko called out, glancing at a digital clock on the wall. "It's nearly 2 in the morning!" She tapped her fingernails on the table. "I suppose Hanami and I should be heading back to our hotel."

"Nonsense," Arima cut in. "You're free to stay at my place. It isn't safe for girls to walk in the dark."

"Oh, are you sure?" Anko asked, with what Sakura recognized to be the faint beginnings of a smirk. "That would be so wonderful, thank you."

Sakura bowed her head. "Yes, thank you, Arima-san," she said, trying to ignore the way his fingers traipsed over her thigh. "I'm not sure I know how to thank you for this generosity."

Hook, line and sinker.

His lips brushed against the shell of her ear, and she couldn't help but shiver at the sensation of someone that close to her. "There is one way that you could thank me," he murmured into her ear.

Sakura felt her lips spread into a smile, and she turned and returned the gesture, whispering, "It would be my pleasure, Arima-sama."

There was a low, primal-sounding growl in the bottom of his throat, and he gripped her jaw tightly with one hand, turning it roughly and then kissing her.

She winced at the pain, and worked her amateurish lips against his, feeling ashamed to kiss in front of so many other people openly. When he finally released her, he licked his lips and trailed a finger down her jaw lingeringly.

"Shall we be going, ladies?"

–

TBC!


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